Learn More About Room to Read India

Room to Read India's Literacy Program is the country's only children’s education program that develops both literacy skills and reading habits. Our Girls’ Education Program supports girls to finish secondary school and works with government stakeholders to advocate for girls' education.

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A Population in Need

Of all the world’s illiterate people, 36 percent live in India, and research shows this number could rise to 50 percent by 2020. Despite recent economic growth, India still lacks many basic resources needed to educate its people. India has made great strides in improving access to education in the past decade and schools are free and compulsory from ages 6 to 14. But inadequate facilities, lecture-based curricula, and gender bias have contributed to 19.8 percent of children dropping out before completing primary school. From 2009-2010, an estimated 8.15 million children were not enrolled in school, according to the Ministry of Human Resource and Development.

Gender, Caste and Linguistic Diversity Pose Challenges

Only 30 percent of Indians speak Hindi, and 21 other languages have official status—including English. This linguistic diversity has made developing statewide education standards difficult. Furthermore, many Indians’ access to education and other opportunities are still predetermined by their gender and social status at birth; of the nearly half of all students who drop out before secondary school, most are girls from disadvantaged castes and tribes. And as 47 percent of girls in India marrying before age 18 according to the ICRW, many girls to drop out.