IDENTIFICATION OF GAPS BETWEEN REPORTED AND TESTED LITERACY RATES IN SELECTED AREAS OF DISTRICT FAISALABAD, PAKISTAN

The present study aimed to identify gaps between reported literacy and tested literacy rate in selected areas of district Faisalabad, Pakistan. To achieve the broader aim of the study, three objectives were formulated: a). to get a reliable estimate of literacy rate through household survey among the population of selected rural and urban areas of district Faisalabad; b). to test literacy skills of the population aged 10-59 and estimate literacy levels achieved by the selected population; and c). to identify gaps between reported literacy rate and the tested literacy rate. Sampling and data collection in the study were done in two phases. In the first phase, 256 houses were selected for household survey through cluster sampling (64 houses from each of four tehsils of the district; 32 houses from rural and 32 from urban areas). A survey questionnaire was designed to get information about literacy rate of the selected population. In the second phase, a literacy test was developed to test reading, writing, numeracy and visual skills of the selected participants. The literacy test was administered on 126 participants of 10-59 years age group. On the basis of test scores, the participants were categorized into three levels of literacy: basic level, middle level and functional level. The study identified overall 9.75% gap between reported and tested literacy rates. The gap between reported literacy rate and functional level of literacy was 29.75%. A number of other facts have surfaced through the study. It was concluded that the current literacy claim of the government of Pakistan seems overestimated in many respects and it does not appear reflect the actual literacy rate.