HYDERABAD: A latest study by the Centre For Economic and Social Studies (CESS) found that, on an average, only 12% of individuals over 15 years of age in India are computer literate or possess information and communication technologies (ICT) skills.
The study titled ‘Inequalities in Computer Literacy in India’, by Prof Chakradhar Jadhav, assistant professor in the Department of Economics at CESS and Prof Prashant Kumar Choudhary from the Department of Public Policy at Manipal Academy of Higher Education revealed that while 15.6% of Indians can send emails with attachments, only 1.4% can write a computer programme using a specialised programming language.
The study analysed data from the 78th round of the National Sample Survey (NSS)-2020-21 involving 11.75 lakh respondents from 2.76 lakh households across India.
NSS data was collected in nine categories: i) copy or move a file or folder; (ii) use the copy and paste tools; (iii) send emails with attachments; (iv) use basic arithmetic formulas in a spreadsheet; (v) connect and install new devices; (vi) find, download, install and configure software; (vii) create electronic presentations; (viii) transfer files between a computer and other devices; and write a computer programme using a specialised programming language.
The data was further analysed by the researchers based on various demographic indicators such as gender, caste, religion, location, education, income, and a combination of sex/location and sex/caste.
As per the study “39.5% of urban individuals demonstrated the capability to copy or move files or folders, whereas only 18.1% of rural individuals possessed this skill. As the difficulty levels increased, the survey indicated a sharp decline in the proportion of individuals possessing these skills across urban and rural areas, albeit with urban individuals performing better than those in rural areas”.
The study found disparities in computer literacy in rural and urban contexts, with a distinct hierarchy emerging urban males lead, followed by urban females, rural males, and, at the bottom, rural females across all nine categories of computer skills.
Nationwide, Chandigarh had the highest percentage of individuals with ICT skills (29%), followed by Kerala and Sikkim in second and third place, respectively.
Telangana stood 17th among states for ITC-skills, with an average score of 15.23% across the nine categories.
Chakradhar Jadhav told TNIE, “Our study found that even graduates from rural settings often cannot send mail, particularly in tribal areas. We also found that females had significantly lower computer literacy rates than males. While access to mobile phones and the internet has increased digital literacy, the situation regarding ITC skills remains grim.”
Jadhav emphasised the need for enhancing computer literacy in schools, improving infrastructure in both government and private institutions, incentivising computer literacy for females, and implementing policy interventions for marginalised groups to address the digital divide and enhance computer-based skills.
