Poverty, Illiteracy and Unemployment are the major lUU problems facing the country. This Reflective Essay was asked in ICSE 1991 board exam. You can find Previous Year Reflective Essay Topics asked in ICSE board exams.
Reflective Essay ICSE 1991
Introduction:
Poverty, illiteracy and unemployment are the three major problems. The core issue is illiteracy.
- An educated and literate electorate is important for a democratic country like India.
- Illiteracy makes the poor and the downtrodden vulnerable to economic and political exploitation.
- Besides poverty it is also responsible for high rate of unemployment in rural areas.
- Removing illiteracy is a Herculean task, for which the right to education should be made a reality.
- Education should be focused on vocational training.
Conclusion:
Literacy is the panacea for the problem of poverty and unemployment which can realise Gandhiji’s dream of Swaraj.
Poverty, illiteracy and unemployment are the three major problems facing the country. Even after nearly seven decades of independence, these problems have not abated but increased manifold, due to the exponential growth in population. There is however a common link between them. The core issue according to me is illiteracy, which is responsible for all the above ills.
An educated and literate electorate is important for a democratic country like India. Such citizens can elect leaders who appreciate their problems as well as those facing the nation. Unfortunately much importance has not been given to education, with the result that nearly fifty percent of the population is still illiterate. Lord Brougham highlighting the importance of education said, “Education makes the people easy to lead, but difficult to drive, easy to govern, but impossible to enslave.”
Illiteracy makes the poor and the downtrodden vulnerable to economic and political exploitation. Though adequate provisions have been made in the constitution, to ensure their empowerment and participation, the fruits of development have not percolated down to them. They continue to live in poverty, because illiteracy deprives them of the right to claim what is lawfully theirs.
They continue to be economically exploited by landlords and traders, who lend money to them at exorbitant interest. It is also responsible for poverty and unemployment in rural areas for illiterate people can at best take to farming or work as labourers in town and cities. Politically they fall easy prey to the mechanisation of crafty politicians, who claim to be their messiah but treat them as vote banks for garnering power and clout for themselves.
All these major problems facing the country can be addressed by enlightening the masses, through formal and non-formal education. Education that would enable them to distinguish between what is good and bad, for them and the nation.
This is indeed a Herculean task, which requires financial resources and a strong political will to implement it. The right to education should be made a reality by allocating financial resources and setting up schools with adequate teachers, down to the village level. People should be motivated through financial assistance to become literate, so that they can ameliorate their lot.
Education should not only be confined to make them literate but also inculcate good ethical and moral values. The present education modelled by the British for producing clerks, also needs to be done away with. More stress should be on vocational training, so that people acquire skills which would enable them set up their own vocation. This would not only improve their economic lot, but would also help eradicate the problem of unemployment facing the country.
Indeed literacy is the panacea for the problem of poverty and unemployment. The government and the parties in opposition should rise above party politics, to eradicate illiteracy in the country, to realise Gandhiji’s dream of Swaraj.
Assignments
- Poverty and unemployment are the major problems facing the country. Write about any one suggesting what remedies might be effective.
- Unemployment is a major problem affecting the country. Suggest remedies.