The Hindu : `Make education a way of life'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jan 25, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore

`Make education a way of life'

By Our Staff Reporter

COIMBATORE, JAN. 24. To make a developing nation like India a strong and developed country, primary and elementary education should be made a way of life for every child, said S. Giridhar, Head, Advocacy & Research, Azim Premji Foundation, Bangalore. He was inaugurating the South Zone Management Meet, "Melange 2004", of the GRD Institute of Management.

In his presentation on "Perspectives on Universalisation of Elementary Education in India : Corporate Social Responsibility", Mr. Giridhar said that India would become the biggest talent pool in 15 years, if education could be made a way of life for all children. A literate nation cannot be impoverished and a country with high level of illiteracy could not be a developed nation, he said. Stressing the need for extension of education to rural areas, he said that 70 per cent of the population was in villages while 90 per cent of the children were in Government schools. Expressing concern at the dropout rate, Mr. Giridhar said that 42 per cent of the children left school at eight years of age while another 16 per cent discontinued their education at the age of ten. The statistics pertained to children in the age group of six to 14. Of the literacy rate of 65 per cent, urban areas accounted for 80 per cent and rural areas 59.About 76 per cent of males got education, while the literacy level of female children stood at 54 per cent. A sizeable number of girl children above the age of 11 were found to be dropping out of schools for want of toilet facilities alone, he lamented.

Mr. Giridhar said that universalisation of elementary education could be achieved by adhering to three parameters i.e. quantity, equity and quality.

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