Abstract:
Literacy is a very important criterion in measuring the intelligence of a person or the population
of the country' Temporal changes in literacy could be identified in the world in Sri Lanka as well'
The main objective of this Research is to ascertain the factors that influence on the spatial
changes taking place in literacy.
Aruppala Grama Niladhari Division of Gangawatakorale Divisional Secretaries at Division in
Kandy" District was selected as the sample with a higher level of literacy and Gomaraya Grama
Niladhari Division of Panvila Divisional Secretaries at Division was selected as the sample with
a lower level of literacy for this study. Forty families from both areas were selected as sample at
20 families from each G.N. Division and data were collected through questionnaires and
interviews. 40 families were selected as random samples and the collected data were analyzed
through the detailed analytic system. It could be identified from the findings of the study that
severe spatial discrepancies exist in the course of illiteracy. It also could be identified from the
results of the study that mainly social, economic, political and environmental factors have
contributed to the positions of a higher level and lower level of literacy in the two different
sample areas of the study. Among their ,factors such as poverty ,low level income and
unemployment could be identified that had influenced in the course leading to lake of literacy
.Further ,the other social drawbacks namely lake of fundamental education , illiteracy of parents
, children not being referred for education and due to deleterious environmental conditions also
have contributed towards the above unfortunate situations. Other factors that had to such a
situation where the political riots during 1988/89 inadequacy of teaching staff and lake of
infrastructure facilities.
On the other hand, the factors that have contributed towards the higher level of literacy are,
higher state of economy, proper educational facilities, encouragement by parents, proper
infrastructure facilities. Satisfactory conditions of teaching in schools, increase of educational
institutes etc. According to the above conditions, it could be concluded that increase of
provisions for educations , development of infrastructure facilities, improvement of living
conditions of people are very important for the development of literacy in rural areas.
