Most parents literate in Nagaland but majority lack matriculation, reflects report

February 20, 2024 13 Views No Comment

DE&S’ Civil Registration report paints a picture of family life and socio-economic status

Moa Jamir
Dimapur | February 20

Providing crucial insights into the educational, economic, and other statuses of parents in Nagaland, an official report has highlighted that the majority of mothers with live births registered in 2022 were literate but had educational levels below matriculation.

In rural areas, a total of 46,198 live births were registered, and according to the “Civil Registration System in Nagaland- Annual Report 2022” by the Nagaland Department of Economics and Statistics (DE&S), 81.36% of the mothers were literate.

Out of the total, the educational status of 33,077 mothers (71.60%) were below matriculate, reflected the report published in November 2023 and recently been made available in the public domain on the DE&S website.

Accordingly, only 7.60% (3,512) of mothers were in matriculate/higher secondary equivalent level, and a mere 2.16% (1,000) were graduates and above. Interestingly, the report revealed that the literacy rate of mothers was lower in urban areas at 77.02%, educational level ratios were higher.

Out of 34,615 live births registered in 2022, 54.01% of mothers (18,696) were below matriculate, while 15.26% (5,283) were in matriculate/higher secondary/equivalent, and 7.74% (2,680) in the graduate and above category.

Turning to fathers in rural areas, 83.24% were literate, with 70.05% below matriculation. Additionally, 10.04% had matriculate/higher secondary/equivalent education, and 3.14% were graduates and above. A total of 16.76% of fathers in rural areas were illiterate.

In urban areas, 78.96% of fathers were literate, and 21.04% were designated as illiterate. Among literate fathers, 51.60% were below matriculate, 16.72% were matriculate/higher secondary/equivalent, and 10.65% were graduates and above.

Insights into child-bearing age
The report also provided insights into the child-bearing age, revealing that most mothers were in the 25-29 years age group in both rural and urban areas in 2022.

In rural areas, out of 46,198 mothers, 36.46% (16,842) fell within the age group of 25-29 years, while 29.08% (13,434) were in the age group of 20-24 years. Over 21% (10,027) were in the 30-34 age bracket. Notably, there was one birth with a mother below the age of 15 and 824 mothers were in the 15-19 age bracket. A total of 177 mothers were also in the 45 years and above age group.

In urban areas, out of 34,615 mothers, 30.28% (10,481) were in the 25-29 age group. However, reflecting the trend of late marriage in urban areas, the 30-34 years age group followed next with 29.21% or 10,110 live births. In the age group of 20-24 years, there were 8,350 (24.13%) mothers.

In urban areas too, there was one case of a mother below 15 years and 303 in the 15-19 age group. A total of 120 mothers were in the 45 years and above age group.

High ‘non-workers’ status
Regarding the economic and employment status of parents, the DE&S report informed that out of 46,198 fathers in rural areas, a significant 46.54% (21,502) were ‘non-workers,’ while the rest (53.46%) were engaged in some occupation.

Out of the engaged workers, 21.45% (9,911) were designated as farmers, fishermen, hunters, loggers, etc., and related workers. Other substantial areas of occupational engagement were production & other related workers, transport equipment operator & laborers (4,671), service workers (4,039), and others whose occupation is not classified (3,205).

The status was better in urban areas, with 63.01% of fathers designated as workers while 36.99% (12,804 out of 34,615) were non-workers. Among the workers, 22.14% (7,664) were engaged in other occupations not elsewhere classified, followed by 16.03% (5,548) service workers and 10.48% (3,627) farmers, fishermen, hunters, loggers, etc., and related workers.

Religion-wise, 97.92% of fathers were Christians in rural areas, contrasting with 80.37% in urban areas. Hindus followed next with 1.30% in rural areas and 13.98% in urban areas. Muslims constituted 5.44% of fathers in urban areas and 0.71% in rural areas. The rest were – 0.08% (rural) and 0.21% (urban) were designated as ‘other religions.’

According to the DE&S, these vital statistics are invaluable for planning, monitoring, and evaluating various programs related to primary health care, family planning, maternal and child health, gender, etc. Vital statistics generated from civil registration significantly contribute to the formulation of effective and efficient evidence-based policies across multiple sectors, it added.