The recently released census data about literacy status and educational levels of different workers as well as non workers shockingly revealed that 28.8 percent of the main workforce of India is illiterate. This census data provides the distribution of India’s main workforce as per educational level as well as age groups. According to the census of 2011, almost 130.2 million from the total of 362.6 million main workforce of the country is below matric level (10th standard). This data further show that 71.5 million (which is 19.7 percent) workers are below graduate.

Among marginal workers, the population of which is 55.5 million, 39.4 percent is illiterate, 37.6 percent is literate but below the matric level, and 14.5 percent is under graduate.

The non workers population in India is 60.7 million and within this population 33.6 percent is under matric level, 31.1 percent is under graduate, and 17.2 percent is illiterate.

The overall analysis of this data shows that the main workforce of India has just 4.5 percent people who are graduate or above, whereas majority of the population which is 32.6 percent is not even primary school level educated.

The complete breakup of this data released on this Friday shows that 25.2 percent population is educated till primary school, 15.7 percent is educated till middle school, 11.1 percent is educated till matric level, 8.6 percent is educated till higher secondary (12th standard), and only 4.5 percent is graduate and above.

As compared to the previous decade, this latest data shows improvement in the middle and higher level of education, but at the same time shows decline in the primary level of education which might adversely impact the future of the main workforce of India.

Story Inputs: The Economic Times