Literacy in India is key for socio-economic progress, and the Indian literacy rate grew to 75.

06% in [2][3] 2011 from 12% at the end of British rule in 1947. Although this was a greater than sixfold [4] improvement, the level is well below the world average literacy rate of 84%, and India currently has the [5] largest illiteratepopulation of any nation on earth. Despite government programs, India's literacy rate [6] increased only "sluggishly," and a 1990 study estimated that it would take until 2060 for India to achieve [7] universal literacy at then-current rate of progress. The 2011 census, however, indicated a 2001-2011 decadal literacy growth of 9. Although schooling is free and compulsory from 614 years of age, facilities are inadequate and often totally lacking. Approximately 40% of students, mostly girls, drop out by secondary school ... it is estimated that by the year 2020 over 50% of the illiterate population will live in India 2%,

[1]

Reasons for Low Literacy Rate

The absence of adequate school infrastructure like improper facilities and inefficient teaching staff is one of the main factors affecting literacy in India. There is a shortage of 6lakh classrooms to accommodate all [22] the students in 2006-2007. In addition, there is no proper sanitation in most schools. The study of 188 government-run primary schools in central and northern India revealed that 59% of the schools had no [23] drinking water facility and 89% no toilets. A Public Report On Basic Education (PROBE) team did surveys and reported that India had very poor infrastructure in 1999 and a 25% rate of teachers being [24] absent from school on any particular day in 2005. In 600,000 villages and multiplying urban slum habitats, free and compulsory education is the basic literacy instruction dispensed by barely qualified [25] para teachers. The average Pupil Teacher Ratio for All India is 1:42, implying teacher [26] shortage. Such inadequacies resulted in a non-standardized school system where literacy rates may [25] differ. Furthermore, the expenditure allocated to education was never above 4.3% of the GDP from [27] 1951-2002 despite the target of 6% by the Kothari Commission. This further complicates the literacy problem in India. previous decade.

Learnings from state literacy efforts in India

Several states in India have executed successful programs to boost literacy rates. Over time, a set of factors have emerged as being key to success: official will to succeed, deliberate steps to engage the community in administering the program, adequate funding for infrastructure and teachers, and provisioning additional services which are considered valuable by the community (such as free school lunches).

Literacy efforts
The right to education is a fundamental right, and UNESCO aims at education for all by 2015. India, along with the Arab states and sub-Saharan Africa, has a literacy level below the threshold level of 75%, but efforts are on to achieve that level. The campaign to achieve at least the threshold literacy level [55] represents the largest ever civil and military mobilization in the country. International Literacy Day is celebrated each year on 8 September with the aim to highlight the importance of literacy to individuals, communities and societies.
[54] [54]

Non-governmental efforts
The bulk of Indian illiterates live in the country's rural areas, where social and economic barriers play an important role in keeping the lowest strata of society illiterate. Government programmes alone, however well intentioned, may not be able to dismantle barriers built over centuries. Major social reformation

efforts are sometimes required to bring about a change in the rural scenario. Several non-governmental organizations such as ITC, Rotary Club, Lions Clubhave worked to improve the literacy rate in India. Education in India is provided by thepublic sector as well as theprivate sector, with control and funding coming from three levels: federal,state, and local. Child education is compulsory. The Nalanda [2] University was the oldest university-system of education in the world. Western education became ingrained into Indian society with the establishment of the British Raj. Education inIndia falls under the control of both the Union Governmentand the states, with some responsibilities lying with the Union and the states having autonomy for others. The various articles of the Indian Constitution provide for education as a fundamental right. Most universities in India are controlled by the Union or the State Government. India has made progress in terms of increasing primary educationattendance rate and [3] expanding literacy to approximately two thirds of the population. India's improved education system is [4] often cited as one of the main contributors to the economic rise of India. Much of the progress especially in Higher education, Scientific research has been credited to various public institutions. The private [citation needed] education market in India is merely 5% although in terms of value is estimated to be worth $40 [citat billion in 2008 and will increase to $68 billion by 2012

Present education in India

India's education system is divided into different levels such as pre-primary level, primary level, elementary education, secondary education, undergraduate level and postgraduate level.Present education in India

Women in India
Pratibha Devisingh Patil is the 12th and current President of the Republic of Indiaand first woman to hold the office.
[1]

The status of women in India has been subject to many great changes over the past few millennia.[2][3] From equal status with men in ancient times[4] through the low points of the medieval period,[5] to the promotion of equal rightsby many reformers, the history of women in Indiahas been eventful. In modern India, women have adorned high offices in India including that of the President,Prime minister, Speaker of the Lok Sabha andLeader of the Opposition. As of 2011, the President of India, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha (Lower House of the parliament) are all women.

6.1. CONCLUSION The literature review section in this research tends to point to the fact that environmental education has now reached schools and communities. It documented in detail the drastic move from environmental education about, in and for the environment to the current sustainability and empowerment education. This shift has been paralleled with the shift in education pedagogy and perspectives. There was a shift from positivist beliefs to behaviourism, to social constructivism, to critical social perspectives. These shifts tend to suggest that current initiatives, the Millenium Goal in environmental education, for example, are making impact in schools and communities.