Education creates awareness within people — discovering themselves and the world around them — and acts as the major catalyst and prime factor in bringing about social change and transformation.
According to the 2011 census, the total literacy rate of Jharkhand is 66.41%, lower than India’s average of 72.98%. In Jharkhand the male literacy rate is 76.84% and the female literacy rate is 55.42%. The state average is lifted by five cities — Ranchi, Jamshedpur (East Singhbhum), Dhanbad, Bokaro and Ramgarh — where literacy is above 72%. In rural Jharkhand literacy is around 50%, and there are more female illiterates. Among the literate, most people have either no formal education or only primary-level education. In many cases it is perceived that education is not for women.
SIGN’s approach
SIGN therefore takes education as an important thrust area, promoting education at all levels, from children to graduates. Let no child be deprived of education because of poverty. SIGN’s efforts go beyond linking children to school: it also motivates and trains the parents of these children in agriculture, so that they become part of sustainable development.
