Poverty Stricken Child Literacy At Bottom Level Of The KBK+ Region Of Rural Odisha : An Analytical Study

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1 Review Of Research Vol.1,Issue.11,Aug; 12pp.1-4 ISSN: X ORIGINAL ARTICLE Available online at Poverty Stricken Child Literacy At Bottom Level Of The KBK+ Region Of Rural Odisha : An Analytical Study Sujata Priyambada Parida PhD Scholar in Statistics, Utkal University,Odisha. Abstract: This analytical paper has investigated the impact of poverty on child literacy at compulsory school going age at poorest level of the backward KBK+ region of rural Odisha (one of the poorest region of the India). This paper has been prepared using unit level data of NSS (National Sample Survey).The entire population of KBK+ has been distributed into five pentile classes based on the monthly percapita expenditure of each household. The analysis has reached at the lowest pentile class of KBK+ and prepared a comparative picture on child illiteracy. It has been concluded that all the planning and policy for compulsory child education are significantly successful in this backward region of the country but the success is not significant at the poorest level of the region. INTRODUCTION The definition of poverty started from the lack of basic needs i.e. food, shelter and clothing. Then the definition can be modified when we consider a better living than just living. The next essential needs become health and education. Finally it can be stated that poverty is not simply a matter of inadequate income but also a matter of low literacy. Although poverty eradication is a long term process, removal of poverty and child illiteracy is the foremost objective of the current five year plan. According to the recent measure of Tendulkar Committee1 (on behalf of planning commission) 29.5% of people in India are suffering from poverty and the figure is 37% for Odisha. Also the poverty percentage in rural sector is 33.8% and 39.2% for all India and Odisha respectively. Again according to this report poverty has been declined in 20 percentage points for Odisha i.e from 57 to37 from to But when we look towards backward districts of rural Odisha, according to a report of planning commission the total 18 districts of Odisha has been included in the list of 150 extremely poor districts of the country2. Odisha holds the first position with 18 districts of the state featuring in the list, followed by 15 districts each of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar and 14 districts of Jharkhand. The KBK region, comprising undivided Koraput (i.e, Koraput, Nawarangpur, Malkanagiri & Rayagada), undivided Bolangir (i.e. Subarnapur and Bolangir) and undivided Kalahandi (i.e., Kalahandi & Nuapada) districts, is the poorest and most backward region of the country. In addition to these eight districts, three more districts Kandhamal,Gajapati and Boudh has been officially declared as backward districts. Hence in this present study the most backward region KBK+consists of all official KBK districts along with three backward districts like Gajapati, Kandhamal and Boudh. Based on MPCE(monthly percapita consumer expenditure) the bottom 20% has been taken as bottom level poverty stricken people of the most backward region of rural Odisha. Kathleen Blanco, the former governor of Louisiana once said in her address to the state Congress Please cite this Article as : Sujata Priyambada Parida, Poverty Stricken Child Literacy At Bottom Level Of The KBK+ Region Of Rural Odisha : An Analytical Study : Review Of Research (Aug; 2012)

2 2 that Education is a fundamental solution to poverty in2004. If a child's basic needs do not get met, then the child's educational needs cannot be addressed. Poverty i.e the lack of food, appropriate shelter, or access to educational materials such as books affects a child's ability to learn at school by putting the child at a disadvantage before he/she sets foot into primary education. With the assistance of Central Government the State Government had committed to universalise the elementary education in Odisha with the aim of fulfilling the constitutional obligation. The Government has projected many special plans for KBK+ region as it consists of backward tribal districts. OBJECTIVE OF THE PAPER: This paper is an attempt to analyse the impact of poverty on child literacy among the children attending the compulsory school going age (6-14)3 at bottom level4(the lowest pentile class) of the most backward and tribal region i.e. KBK+region of rural Odisha. DATA DESCRIPTION AND SOURCE: The present study is based on state and center pooled data of Household Consumer Expenditure Survey conducted by NSSO (National Sample survey Organisation) during its 61st ( ) & 66th ( ) rounds5.the central sample raw data set is obtainable from NSSO, Government of India & the state sample raw data set is obtainable from Directorate of Economics & Statistics, Government of Odisha. These two data sets contain the information on age, education, household type and MPCE (monthly percapita consumer expenditure) of each sample households to be used for the study. For further analysis these two data sets are pooled using certain statistical methodology. Then the information on poverty and child (6-14 years) illiteracy is derived using the poverty line obtainable from planning commission, Govt of India in NSS pooled data. Normally the sample size is statistically reliable for state level estimate only. But the sample size of NSS is not adequate for any estimation of below state level. So for this paper, it has been decided to obtain region (sub_state) level estimate. For data pooling and analysis for this study STATA 9.0 (software for statistical analysis) has been used. METHODOLOGY AND STATISTICS USED: A)For Odisha two different equal and independent samples i.e. Central and State samples had been surveyed by two different organisations i.e. NSSO, Govt of India and Directorate of Economics & Statistics, Govt of Odisha respectively. To analyse the study at sub_state (region) level the sample size becomes doubled by pooling state and central sample raw data.. For pooling two different data the study follows the procedure of B.S. Minhas and M.G. Sardana published in Sarvekhsana 6 (July-Sept90).According to this method pooled estimate at stratum7 level has been calculated as the weighted average of central and state sample estimates with number of primary units as weights at stratum level. The pooled multiplier has been calculated using the following equations. M'ki (s) =Mki (s) [nk (s) / [nk (c) + nk (s)]] M'ki (c) =Mki (c) [nk (c) / [nk (c) + nk (s)]] Where M'ki (s) = Pooled multiplier for ith village of kth stratum of state sample. M'ki (c) = Pooled multiplier ith village of kth stratum for central sample. Mki (s) = state sample multiplier for ith village of kth stratum. Mki (c) = central sample multiplier for ith village of kth stratum. nk (s) = No. of sample villages in kth stratum in state sample. nk (c) = No. of sample villages in kth stratum in central sample. B) Pentile classes have been made using the rank of MPCE of the sample households of the pooled data set for two different rounds (61st and 66th) separately. The rural mpce distribution has been constructed through 4 pentile classes representing the 20%, 40%, 60% and 80% and 90% points of distributions. The pentile class of mpce may also be called as 20th, 40th, 60th and 80th percentiles. NOTES 1-The official poverty estimates of Planning Commission have been severely criticised on various counts.

3 3 In view of this, Planning Commission set up an expert group under the chairmanship of Professor Suresh Tendulkar to examine the issue and suggest a new poverty line and estimates. The expert group has considered this issue in detail and has suggested new methodology to arrive at state wise and all India rural and urban poverty lines for and Top news published in 'Jagarana Post' in 8th August The constitutional amendment referred to right to education is 93rd constitutional amendment of 2001, which has made education of all children in the age group of 6-14 years a fundamental right 4-Based on mpce (monthly percapita consumer expenditure) of NSS data, the entire population of the backward region is divided into five different classes from lower to upper. The lowest class has been taken as bottom level. 5-Planning commission of India uses the data base of NSS of quinquinial rounds at the interval of five years. The latest available database is from two rounds 61st& 66th. 6- A journal of NSSO, MOSPI (Ministry of Planning and Programme Implementation), Govt of India. 7-A two-stage stratified sampling design has been adopted for both 61st round and 66th round survey. For the first stage list of census villages is the sampling frame for the rural sector. All rural areas of each district constitute a separate rural stratum.) Result & Analysis T1---Mapping of census population 2011 by the result of NSS 66th round( ) Census(2011) population( projected by NSS result) Population of KBK + Population of Lowest class of KBK + Total population Child population Child illiteracy(child population never attended school) female Child pop female child illiteracy(female child population never attended school) The above table T1 presents the mapped population of census2011.according to Census 2011 the actual rural population of the defined most backward region KBK+ is 93'22'511. The other population presented in the table has been projected by the percentage share obtained from NSS 66th round result. A remarkable important conclusion of the table is that in KBK+ at compulsory schooling age(6-14), every 9th child and every 8th female child are not able to put their first steps into school. At lowest pentile class of KBK* every 4th child are not getting chance to put first step into school and the chance is slightly less in case of female child. T2---Percentage share of illiteracy in child population Category % share of child illiteracy 61st( ) 66th( ) ACDR lowest class other classes all KBK *ACDR-Annual Compound Declined Rate

4 4 Graph1(% share of child illiteracy) From the table T2 and graph1 it is observed that child illiteracy is in declined trend in all classes of rural KBK+. But the declined rate is very slow in lowest class of KBK+.The over all declined rate of child illiteracy in rural KBK+ is very significant,which indicates a good symbol towards the development of child education in KBK+.While going through class wise analysis, the declined rate is nearly six time faster in upper four pentile classes(other classes) than that of poorest(lowest)class.the planning of government towards compulsory child education at the age group(6-14) has a wonderful impact on upper four classes of rural KBK+where as the impact is very negligible at the poorest class. T3---Percentage share of female child in child illiteracy % Share of female in child illiteracy Category 61st( ) 66th( ) ACDR lowest class other classes all KBK* Graph3(% share of female in child illiteracy)

5 5 The table T3 and graph3 shows the gender disparity in child illiteracy in rural KBK+.The share of female child in illiteracy is in declined trend in all over KBK+region. The above table shows that the share of female in child illiteracy has been declined in high rate in upper four classes. The declined rate is nearly three times slow in the lowest class. The special planning and facilities for female child has no significant effect on the poorest class of rural KBK+. CONCLUSION: This paper has presented a specific analysis related to the children at the age group (6-14) living without education (illiteracy) in KBK+region of rural Odisha from to Again this study has reached to the poorest class (lowest pentile class) of the back ward KBK+ region for comparative analysis. This paper has indicated a successful change in removal of child illiteracy in KBK+. But it is a matter of regret that the effect of all plans have a negligible effect on the poorest class of KBK+and the fact needs further analysis. This conclusion may be due to the lack of awareness towards child education or may be due to the effect tribal culture, tradition and blind believe etc. In the poorest class, loss of child labour during school hours may also affect his/her first entry to the elementary education. Similarly inspite of many special facilities and plans for female child education, there is no significant effect towards success at the bottom level (poorest class) of KBK+ region of rural Odisha. The opportunity costs of girls' schooling are most significant for poor households where Girls' labour is used as a substitute for their mothers. The loss of girls' labour during school hours thus may have an impact on female child education at the poorest class. Finally this paper suggests to the Government to reach at the bottom level unreached poorest class of KBK+, to identify the households suffering from severe poverty and to implement suitable plans to remove the child illiteracy. The Government should take step to remove the inaccessibility of the plan and project at the bottom level of KBK+. Proper implementation of the existing plans at the suitable place and persons is more important than some new additional planning. More publicity and awareness regarding child education should reach at bottom level. REFERENCES 1-Press Information Buraeu-2007, Planning Commission, Govt of India 2-Sarvekshana (July-Sept 1990), NSSO, Govt of India (Pooling procedure for state and central sample: B.S. Minha and M.G.Sardana) 3-Estimation procedure for 61st round, NSSO, Govt of India. 4- Estimation procedure for 66th round, NSSO, Govt of India. 5- Levels of Living and Poverty Patterns: A District-Wise Analysis for India, Economic and Political weekly, Feb 28, Sampling technique, M.N. Murthi.