One major hurdle for Indian youth in
terms of employment opportunities in India is poor literacy. The Opportunity
for Action Report released a report saying that in India an estimated 270
million people aged 15 and older remain illiterate. Women between the ages of
15 to 24 are twice as likely to remain illiterate. The girls in rural areas
average fewer than three years of education and the attendance rates for girls
have declined since 1999. Levels of education in India are greatly influenced
by class differences and gender. The report then stated, “On average, young
people in India receive just over seven years of education. The wealthiest 20
percent, for example, attend 11 years of school, whereas the poorest quintile
averages only four years.” The Right to Education Act, which is in its second
year and makes it the state’s responsibility to give education to all between ages
six to 14 only has 17% percent of its school pass-outs going to college. They
currently are trying to start a program to give skill training to those youth
who do not want to opt for traditional education.
India places importance on obtaining
an education so that in the future you will be employed. However, I believe
that even though education is the key, it will take more than education to
sustain an actual career. I think India is focusing entirely too much on just
wanting people to have jobs and not enough emphasis on educating their people,
improving literacy overall. The gap between genders is also terrible
considering that everyone is supposed to be treated “equal.” This article is
further proof of why the Right to Education Act needs improvement and better
implementation as stated before in a previous blog. Thought it is only the
second year, the percentages are still fairly low and they should focus on this
act and possibly a new framework for another act that focuses on bridging the
gap between genders.
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