Mamata Banerjee lauds teachers, education department as West Bengal tops literacy index

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday extended her wishes to teachers, parents and education department officials after the state topped the charts of 'Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Index' in large Indian states category. 

The WB CM too to Twitter and said, "Great news for West Bengal! We have secured the top rank among larger states on the 'Foundational Literacy & Numeracy Index'. I congratulate all teachers, guardians & members of our Education Department for this outstanding achievement!"

Bengal tops charts of 'Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Index'

West Bengal and Kerala topped the charts in the 'large states' and 'small states' category on the 'Index on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy' list prepared by the Centre. In this list, there are four categories through which regions have been divided -- large states, small states, Union Territories and North East. The 'Index on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy' report was prepared by the 'Institute for Competitiveness' and released by Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) chairman. 

"The top-scoring regions are Kerala (67.95) and West Bengal (58.95) in small and large states, respectively," the EAC-PM said in a statement.

The index includes five pillars comprising 41 indicators. The five pillars are educational infrastructure, access to education, basic health, learning outcomes and governance.

As per the official statement, the Index on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) in the first step in this direction, is establishing an understanding of the overall state of 'foundational learning' across children aged below ten years in Indian states and Union territories.

India's overall literacy rate

According to data provided by the National Statistical Commission survey, India’s literacy stood at 77.7% in 2017–18. Based on the survey, the literacy rate in urban areas was significantly higher at 87.7 per cent when compared to the 73.5 per cent in rural areas. The study also showed a wide gender disparity in the literacy rate in the country. Literacy rates were at 84.7% for men and 70.3% for women in the country.

How is literacy rate calculated in India?

The literacy rate depicts the average number of literates in a given area or group. The literacy rate can be calculated by dividing the number of literates in a given age group by the corresponding age group population and multiplying the resulting number by 100. The number of illiterates can be found from the same calculation or by subtracting the literacy rate from 100. According to the 2011 census, anyone above the age of seven with the ability to read and write can be included as literate.

(With Agency Inputs)