Development Scenario of Education in Arunachal Pradesh and Comparative Study of Male Female Literacy

Literacy is essential for eradicating poverty and mental isolation, for cultivating peaceful and friendly relation and for permitting the free play of demographic process. Illiteracy, on the other hand, takes away from man his dignity, perpetuates ignorance, poverty and mental isolation, deters peaceful and friendly relations and free democratic process and hampers social advancement, economic growth and political maturity. Arunachal Pradesh is late starter in formal education. The actual opening era of education came in state after India became independent in 1947. The process of development was slow but steady because of many unfavourable factors like inaccessibility, lack of interest of administration, illiteracy and ignorance of local people and lack of communication etc. In Arunachal Pradesh till independence literacy rate was only less than 1 percent. In the succeeding five years plans, an increasing percentage of expenditure on education has given good result despite of formidable constraints. Present literacy rate of male is 73.69 and female is 59.57, male-female disparity is observe as 14.12. It is observed that good fruit of education in the state is achieved though the females are lagging behind the males.


Introduction
Arunachal Pradesh is late starter in formal education. The state is situated in the North eastern most corner of India sharing international boundaries with three countries namely-Bhutan, China and Myanmar. In area wise the largest state amongst the eight states of North-eastern region having the area of 83,743 sq. km and low density population of 17 per sq. km.
The territory was known as hidden land during the British period. Slow and gradual administration penetrated only after the independence of the country in 1947. Rapid development was made only after 1947 when the territory attainted the states of union territory and statehood day in 1987.
When the first ever census was conducted in the state in the year 1961, the literacy rate was recorded at 7.23 percent against 28.30 percent of the India. It was officially recorded that there were only three primary school with enrolment of 35 students. As per the latest census 2011, report the state has achieved the 66.65 percent literacy rate but it is still below the national average of 24.04%.

The Concept of Literacy
The meaning of literacy varies from country to country, generally refers to the minimum level of Literacy skills. This minimum level of skills varies from ability to communicate orally, to make a check of a variety of difficult arithmetical computations.
The Population commission of United Nation consider "The ability to both read and write a simple message with understanding in any language a sufficient basic for classifying a person as literate". The Indian census has adopted this definition gradually; many countries are shifting to this definition.
The Greek Philosopher Plato said "Education is to give the body and the soul all the beauty and all the perfection of which they are capable". This implies that a country having the largest population is not necessary the richest in human capital. Literacy is one of the most important indications for human resource development. Education, as an endless continuance of lifelong learning is essential for human resources development at every age level. According to A. N. Whitehead "Any serious Fundamental change in the intellectual outlook of the human society must necessarily be followed by an educational revolution".

Objectives
The study is based on the following Objectives-1) To study the educational development in the Arunachal Pradesh.
2) To examine the overall literacy of Arunachal Pradesh since 1961 (first census in Arunachal Pradesh) 3) To explore the separate position of male and female literacy rate in Arunachal Pradesh through their comparative study.

Methodology
The present study is based on secondary data collection from various published sources like various issues of census reports, research journals, magazines, report of govt institution like Directorate of Education department Directorate of economics and statistics and websites etc.

Development scenario of Education in Arunachal Pradesh
The actual era of education came in Arunachal Pradesh after Indian became independent in 1947. The process of development was slow but steady because of many unfavourable factors like-inaccessibility, lack of interest of administration, illiteracy, lack of communication and lack of many other sources.
The Christian missionaries who followed the British administration established their centres at the adjacent place like Sadiya, North Lakhimpur etc. They operated their religious preaching to the present Arunachal Pradesh through Education in the school established at these centres. They also penetrated to some places in the foot hills areas of the state. The first of such attempt was made in 1839 by establishing a school at Namsang near present Deomali in Tirap District. This was done by Mr. Bronson of American Baptist mission of Joypur centre Assam. Similar school were recorded to have established at Balek near Pasighat around 1915, Ningroo in 1934, Bolung in 1940, Dambuk in 1945 The Anglo Abor war of 1911-1912 compelled the British government to establish a regular administration centre with posting of an assistant Political officer at the Pasighat. This necessitated the establishment of a Govt. Lower Primary school at Pasighat in 1918 and another at Riga (an army based camp) in 1941.
In the real sense, the formal education in Arunachal Pradesh began only after the independence of the country in 1947 with the appointment of Mrs Indira Miri as the Education officer. She started the office as the education office at Sadiya most probable in the month of October and functioned as the Head of department of the Education. She also established the teachers training centre at Sadiya at the end of the same year and trained 10 Teachers in the first batch of the training centre. Their training completed in the month of August in 1948 and they were sent out to established new school in different places of the state like Dening in Lohit, Nijamghat in Lower Dibang valley, Taki Lalung in East Siang district etc. Also to existing school at Pasighat, Bolung, Dambuk etc were strengthened by posting some of these Teachers.
As per the record, there were 14 schools by the end of 1947. These schools were confined mostly in Siang and Lohit Region. Out of these there were 6 in East Siang, 2 each in West Siang, Lower Dibang Valley and Lohit and 1 each in Upper Siang and West Kameng District.
Therefore the system of formal education in particular had been conspicuously absent in the past in Arunachal Pradesh. Even the system of informal education had also been non-existent excepting the Buddhists i.e., the Monpa and Khampti. Among the Mythological education was used significantly only with a view to explaining and preaching the principles of Buddhist Religion. But this was mostly confined to those who used to dedicate their lives to serve the society through monastery.
The rest of the tribe in Arunachal Pradesh do not have their own script. The documentation practice remained totally absent in the territory in the past. The whole tribal society in Arunachal Pradesh remained verbal in the past.
The real beginning of formal education was started after independence and process of development in education took place some momentum in 1954 when Arunachal Pradesh (NEFA) was curved out of Assam and education began to play important roles in the various development activities of the tribal people. The Government of India formulated different welfare schemes for the development of the people of this area giving priority to Education.

Contemporary status of Educational Institute in the State
Beginning with two Primary school, now Arunachal Pradesh has nearly three thousand schools up '+2' level imparting education from general studies to branches of specific studies in commerce, science and humanities in Higher secondary level.
The state is proud of having a Central University dispensing postgraduate in the subjects like Botany, Zoology, History, Political science, literature in English and Hindi etc, and B.Ed and M.Ed training course for teacher education under the department of education since 1988. It has Regional institute of Science and Technology (NERIST) at Nirjuli, Pap-umPare district, a Polytechnic college at Itanagar, Agriculture training college at Pasighat and a number of Distance education centres under IGNOU. In addition the adult education programmed, Jana Shiksha Nilayan in the form of Non formal Education and functioning throughout the state.
Apart from Government Education Institution Many highly acclaimed educational Institution run by voluntary organisations, Private agencies, missionaries, central Government for eg: Donyi-polo Mission, R.K Mission, Vivekananda Kendra Vidhyalaya etc are spreading over the entire Arunachal Pradesh with the aim liberating people from the bondage of illiteracy, Ignorance, poverty, develop human resources and Man power skills to cope up with the age of science and technology.

Census wise Literacy rate in Arunachal Pradesh
In Arunachal Pradesh, till independence literacy rate was only less than 1% in the succeeding five year plans, an increasing percentage of expenditure on education has given good result despite of formidable constraints like inaccessibility of territory, people unawareness of the need of the education and traditional dependence on children for Domestic and field work.
Thus, with increasing emphasis through successive plans the state has achieved commendable progress in the field of education.
The Literacy rate census wise from 1961 to 2011 in Arunachal Pradesh shown in Table 1 (census started first in the state in the year 1961)  In Fig-1 also the each and every Bar Diagram is bigger than the previous bar Diagram where each Bar Diagram represents literacy of person of each census year.

Male -Female disparity in Literacy of Arunachal Pradesh
Male-Female disparity is also shown in the table-1 and Figures-3 and 4. In every census year, the females literacy is lower than that of the males, that is why, the bar Diagram of female is smaller than that of the males. Again if we draw a line diagram on the basis of Male-female disparity in literacy, we see that the line is slowly upward rising up to 1991, the line is decreasing indicating that the disparity is decreasing. From table-1 and Fig.1 and 2, it is observed that the good fruit of education in the state is achieved though the females are lagging behind the male.
Higher education in Arunachal Pradesh needs a far reaching structural recon-struction. We get more or less same picture in case of Arunachal Pradesh. Male-Female Disparity is highest in 1991 and after it is decreasing. It is good sign for the education progress and empowerment of women in the state. Sources census report 2011.

Fig.5 Female Literacy in All India and Arunachal Pradesh.
From the table-3 and Fig.5, it is seen that in the Higher education, the women of the state are lagging behind from the women of all India level by the difference of 5.07%. So, the state should more emphasis on the Female Education.

Reason for slow Growth of Female Literacy as compared to Male in the state
However, after Independence the country has become more conscious to educate the people, therefore it has introduced various educational schemes and programmes to attain higher level of education and also to achieve socio-economic as well as overall development.
But this educational expansion or change has not taken place for everyone and all section of society. The Schedule Caste (SCs), Scheduled Tribe (STs) and underprivileged women are still lagging behind in all stages of Education. Despite constant efforts both by central and state government to spread the education of S.Cs, S.Ts and other weaker section.
The level of education among them is very low in comparisons to general castes and other community and this level of education exhibit high degrees of dispersion and disparities. Majority of them are still away from Educational accessibility. Some of the reasons behind this low Education are due to :-

1)
The economic condition of the parents 2) Lack of suitable Transport facilities in the region.

3)
Lack of aspiration and awareness.

4)
Lack of Girl oriented school in the region.

5)
Non-implementation of education policies for the progress of SCs and S.Ts.

6)
Child Marriage or early marriage.

7)
Parents are more preference over Male child.

8)
Wastage and early dropout 9) Lack of Vocationalisation of Education 10) Absence of a Balanced, sensible and realistic approach Remedial and suggestion

Provide Adequate Educational facilities:
A) There should be at least one primary school within the walking distance of the child. B) Hostels facilities for the girls at the middle and high schools. C) All priorities should be given to the construction of suitable building foe girls schools. D) Free education for Girls up to 20 years.

2.
Provide Funds and schemes: There should be more schemes and financial resources for women education in the states some of them are listed below.
A) Free uniforms and free books to the needy and deserving Children.

B)
Mid-Day meal should be made available in all the schools of the region especially in primary schools.

C)
Attendance scholarship which serves as a compensation to the parents should be given, this will also ensure reduction of wastage and stagnation.

3.
Proper social attitude in favour of Girls: A) There should not be discrimination among Girl child and boy child, both should treat equal.

B)
Public opinion in favour of Girls education should be created by culture education programmes, Documentaries film shows, social service camps in village, radio, press, poster etc.

C)
Removable of social taboos, customs of child marriage or early marriage in the society.

Curriculum: A)
Steps should be taken to improve the teaching of music and fine arts, home science and liberal financial assistance should also be made available to girl school.

B)
Establishment of more number of NFE (Non-formal education) schools to enrol girls and women of different age groups.

C)
Widening the scope of distance education programme to cover all categories of people especially rural women.

Conclusion
The state Arunachal Pradesh still requires lot of planning and budget for rapid development of education so as to cope up with main stream of India. The policy maker of Education should give more emphasis on qualitative education in order to increase competence and productivity of workers. To achieve success, the remedial will be in the form of providing complete free education, financial assistance to poor parents, supplying free meal, uniforms, scholarship, reducing the dependencies on children for domestic and agriculture work, educating the parents, removing the social evils, imposing penalties on those parents who do not send their children to schools, appointing trained, efficient and dedicated teacher and improving school curriculum by adopting excellent and attractive method of teaching etc.
Last but not the least; I feel that purposeful research and field investigation may further affect all round progress and development in order to grow literary.