Literacy rate among the Girijans is low compared to the other sections of the population and it is much less in the case of Girijan women.
Among Girijan men, the literacy rate varies from 65.4 per cent in Anantapur to 68.1 per cent in Vizianagaram. Literacy percentage among Girijan women is 53.1 in East Godavari, highest and the only district where it crossed the 50 per cent mark, and lowest in Visakhapatnam at 34.7. This is against the State average of 76.8 per cent among men and 60 per cent among women.
One reason for the literacy rate among Girijans not improving is that the children are not being taught in their mother tongue. Children, who communicate in their own Girijan dialect till they join (first standard) in the school, are not able to understand Telugu in which the lessons are taught. “This situation warrants the government to make all efforts to teach Girijan children in their own dialect in the primary and upper primary schools along with Telugu and once they join the high school they find it very easy to follow the lessons in Telugu or other language,” says president of Girijana Sangham and former MLA of Kurupam Kolaka Lakshmana Murthy.
He cited the example of Tripura where the government is implementing the Constitutional provision of providing education in children’s mother tongue. Sixty per cent of State’s population of around 35 lakh speak Kokoborok language, which is also included in the eighth Schedule of the Constitution and the Tripura government is providing education in this language to pupils in classes first to seventh. This has resulted in the State recording over 90 per cent literacy rate.
An attempt was made in AP but received a setback later.
The AP government (of the combined State) has introduced teaching at primary level in the Girijans’ dialects in 2005 by appointing local Girijan educated youths as language vidya volunteers under the seven ITDAs through the Rajiv Vidya Mission but the rule in the Right to Education Act that came into force in 2013 which wanted the vidya volunteer system to go, has resulted in the removal of the volunteers adversely affecting the children studying in their dialects as well as the youths who have lost their livelihood, Mr. Lakshmana Rao has said.
