LITERACY FOR LIBERATION B5 of human resources, of whLch woman power is the major component, in a developing economy. Of course, there have been additions to the old pattern but hardly enough to meet the enormous demands. TWO R's The ability to read and write is the census criterion for defining a literate peson. India's population at the 1971 census was 547.9 million of which 264.0 million were females: for every 100 males there were 93jfcmales. The population recorded a decennial growth percentage of 24.8. The estimated population in 1972 was 558.6 million including 269.1 million females. Of this 558.6 million, 75 million belonged to age group 6-11 years, 40 million to the 11-14 group and 36 million to the 14-17 age range.2 It is no easy task for a nation which has emerged from the clutches of foreign rule to eradicate illiteracy within a short period, bearing in mind that at the 1951 census, soon after independence, there were 92 per cent illiterate females. The nation's primary goal of providing universal, compulsory and free primary education can be achieved only through progressive increase in enrolment. The advance towards this aim is seen to be retarded on account of the rapid rise in population, In table I, we see that the progress of female literacy from 1901 to 1971 has been meagre. The percentage of literate females out of total female population increased from 0.69 in 1901 to 18.72 in 1971. A comparison with male literacy shows that the percentage of literate males * PROGI TABLE I INDIA AND KERALA,1901—1° ^71 Percentage Percentage of Percentage of Census literate population literate males literate females year to total to total male to total female population population population India Kerala India Kerala India Kerala 1901* 5.35 12.85 9.83 22.05 0.69 3.65 ^ll116 5.92 15.45 10.56 25.82 ' 1.05 5.15 1921* 7.16 21.95 12.21 32.20 1.81 11.84 1931* 9.50 25.58 15.59 37.14 2.93 14.33 1951** 16.67 47.37 24.95 57.15 7.93 37.95 1961 24.02 46.85 34.44 54.97 12.95 38.90 1971 29.46 60.42 39.45 66.62 18.72 54.31 * For undivided India !)t* Excluding Jammu and Kashmir SOURCES: 1) Pocket Book of Population Statistics^ Census Centenary, 1972, Office of the Registrar General, India. 2) Census of India 1961, Kerala, Part lA-Gencral Report, Office of the Registrar General, India.