Remembering Karthyayani Amma: The poster girl of Kerala’s adult literacy drive

Source: This post has been created based on the article “Remembering Karthyayani Amma: The poster girl of Kerala’s adult literacy drive” published in The Indian Express on 14^th October 2023.

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 2 Social Justice – Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Education, Human Resources

News: This article discusses the state of female education in India and the inspiring story of Kerala’s Karthyayani Amma, who recently passed away.

In India’s adult literacy drive, Karthyayani Amma’s success in Kerala (her successful clearing of Class X exams) has continued to motivate individual aspiration and institutional support.

What is the state of female education in India?

Statistics show how, despite a surge in literacy among women in India since Independence, the “Gender Gap” in Education still persists.

According to the 2011 Census:

1) Adult literacy rate for women in rural areas is at 50.6% compared to 74.1% for men.

2) Similarly, it is 76.9% for women in urban areas, and 88.3% for men.

Over the years, one of the highest improvements in literacy rates has been among rural women, achieved through the implementation of adult literacy programmes. Kerala has been a role model in this.