Aneesh Agarwal

High School Finalist, Grade 10
Portland, Oregon

Beyond the ABCs: India’s Overlooked Literacy Crisis

Bent over a worn textbook, the young boy traced each letter of the English alphabet with his finger. “C… A… T,” he recited in a halting voice, eyes squinting at the page. But when I asked him what “cat” meant, he stared back blankly. When I lived in India, I watched our housekeeper’s son—bright, curious, and eager to learn—flip through those pages daily, struggling to grasp even the simplest spoken words in English. Despite learning the alphabet and a few memorized words, he couldn’t understand or pronounce the language—let alone carry a conversation. His story is not unique. It reflects a deeper, systemic problem in India’s educational development: a severe lack of functional English literacy among rural students. This gap in English education is more than a linguistic shortcoming; it is a missed opportunity. English is the gateway to economic mobility, higher education, and participation in the global workforce. But for millions of rural students, it remains a locked door.

The Problem: Basic Reading Without Real Literacy. Despite headway in the educational space, the numbers remain alarming. According to the 2024 Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), merely 44.8% of rural Standard V government school children can read a simple Standard II-level text in English—a basic benchmark for grade-level fluency (ASER 2024, n.d.). Though this level of proficiency among government students may seem superficially high, it hardly guarantees applicable English comprehension.

The core of this problem lies within the rote English curricula of government schools. It’s often approached as a subject, not a language. Students memorize letters and vocabulary but are seldom taught how to apply these skills in real-life conversation or comprehension.

The challenges are structural. Government and rural schools often lack trained English teachers, and most teachers are overwhelmed by the immense volume of students needing help; individual attention is scarce. Foundational skills left unmastered in early grades rarely get reinforced.

According to ASER’s report, over 20% of rural third-grade students cannot even read basic words (ASER 2024, n.d.). As students grow older, the learning gap only widens.

The Impact: A Silent Barrier to Progress. The English literacy divide compounds existing inequalities. Children from urban, private schools graduate with polished English and access to elite universities and corporate networks. Meanwhile, equally capable rural children are sidelined—not because they lack ability, but because they can’t express it in English.

This divide also hampers India’s economic potential. In a globalized world, English proficiency is tied directly to job prospects, innovation, and global collaboration. It’s a precondition for white-collar employment; as such, access to quality English instruction is a social equalizer. A study conducted by IZA economists found that English-speaking Indian workers earn 34% more on average than their non-English counterparts (The Returns to English-Language Skills in India, n.d.). Moreover, research from Aspiring Minds revealed that only 7% of Indian engineering graduates are employable in global jobs, largely due to poor English communication skills (India Today, 2019). This issue isn’t just educational—it’s developmental. One that touches the perception of Indian employees in the workplace. Like many inequities in India, it disproportionately affects rural communities.

The Solution: Listening Can Change Lives. However, change doesn’t require a massive overhaul. Sometimes, it just takes a voice on the other end of a phone call.

A family friend of mine recognized this problem and founded Read-A-Story, an NGO that helps rural students practice spoken English with volunteer “listeners.” The model is simple: a child calls a volunteer, reads a story in English, and the listener helps with pronunciation, comprehension, and encouragement. No expensive infrastructure. No travel. Just human connection.

Unlike other interventions that depend on internet access or smart devices, Read-A-Story relies only on phone connectivity. This is crucial in rural India, where 89% of households have access to a phone, but only 37% have internet, according to the National Family Health Survey (IT for Change, n.d.). The program is also designed to protect privacy—calls are routed through a central line so students and volunteers never exchange personal numbers. It’s a scalable,

low-cost, low-risk intervention that builds real skills through structured repetition and individual support.

Unlike traditional classroom settings, this program offers children the individual attention they need to build confidence in their English speaking and listening fluency—skills that are hardly reinforced in rural schools.

How We Can Help. The most remarkable part? Anyone can contribute.

Well-educated students in India and abroad can volunteer just one hour a week to be a listener. Reading a story, encouraging conversation, correcting a mispronounced word—it all builds toward fluency.
I had the meaningful opportunity to support a child’s reading journey. Over 16 weeks, we were able to improve her reading ability by over 81%. Starting with basic picture books, she was able to grow to enjoy childhood classics. Anjali braved a drunk father, walked an hour each way to school, and more to eventually be accepted to the Electrical Engineering Polytechnic in Pune.

Like me, other students, teachers, retirees, and even corporate professionals can participate. English is a bridge language, and we each have the power to help someone else cross it.

In my Oregon community, I founded Live to Learn, an educational nonprofit dedicated to advancing the academic performance and athletic proficiency of over 200 local students. Through this initiative, I intend to recruit several peers and fellow students to help teach English for Read-a-Story—laying the foundation for a growing mentorship network.

With minimal cost, no need for new infrastructure, and no barrier to entry beyond a willingness to help, Read-A-Story addresses the root of the problem: the absence of oral practice and conversational reinforcement.

The Bigger Picture: Literacy as Empowerment. Functional English literacy is more than an academic achievement. It is the ability to interview for a job, to advocate for yourself, to read instructions, and to connect with the world beyond your village. When we leave behind students like the girl I met, we’re not just failing them—we’re forfeiting India’s future.

That’s why this developmental issue is so pressing. Unlike other problems that rely on extensive financial and time-intensive support, this one has a feasible solution today—if we care enough to act.

Through Read-A-Story, we can be the bridge—lending our time, our voices, and our ears. Sometimes, the most powerful form of philanthropy isn’t money—it’s simply the willingness to listen.

India has no shortage of bright, motivated children. What they need is a chance to be heard. And often, that chance begins with something as small—and as powerful—as a story.