Provision of educational opportunities to women has been an important programme in the education sector since independence. Between 1951 and 1981, the percentage of literacy amongst women improved from 7.93 percent to 24.82 percent.
However, is absolute numbers, illiterate women have increased during this period from 158.7 million to 241.7 million (excluding Assam). Women comprise 57 percent of the illiterate population and 70 percent of the non-enrolled children of school stage are girls.