Progress of Urban Literacy in India : Focus on Metropolises

Abstract

The present paper is an attempt to analyse the progress and disparities in literacy rate in Indian urban areas and metropolises. After Independence, there has been a remarkable growth in literacy rate in urban areas and the differential gap in male-female literacy has continued to decrease from 23.3 percent to 9.7 percent in 2011 which is lowest in all time. Metropolises have recorded high literacy rate for both males and females. Even, disparity is found to be high in north India in comparison to south in both urban areas as well as in metropolises. Disparity in metropolises is directly related to their size, location, social composition and function. Their literacy rates also have a strong relationship with the literacy patterns of the areas in which they are situated. Low literacy rates in metropolises are characterised by the sizeable population of slums, Muslims and Scheduled Castes. General pattern and disparity of literacy rate reflect that, south Indian metropolises are distinguished by higher literacy rates than the north Indian.