The district not only stands last in SSLC and PUC examination results but also for literacy rate in the State with 52.36 per cent. The district also has the largest number of illiterate women.
The District Adult Education Officer told Express on Sunday that the district’s population is 11,72,985 comprising 5,91,104 men and 5,81,881 women. Of these as many as 3,13,797 men and 2,03,143 women are literates. “While the literacy rate for men is 63.33 per cent, women are way behind at 41.31 per cent. Of the total population, only 5,16,940 people are literates and the literacy rate of the district is only 52.36 per cent,” the officer said.
As per the 2001 census, the district has 3,10,588 literates and 39 per cent literacy rate. In the last 12 years, the number of literates has increased by 13 per cent. The poor literacy rate holds a mirror to the state of education in the northern district.
Education experts here opine that migration of labourers is a major hurdle for educational progress. Though the district has a good irrigation network, agricultural labourers migrate in search of employment. The children of these migrants are deprived of education.
At some villages, the parents are reluctant to send their wards to schools as they think that the children should be put to work instead, experts said.