often not enougb funds to provide teachers and schools. In aaldition, the poorerfamilies in order to subsist depend upon a contribution by their olaler children tothe household income. Hence, the drop_out rate of their children ls .high, andthese children tend to forget much of what they have learned, because it is notused at home or reinforced by any kind of riteracy maintenance programme. Thus thepooresl people are the most likely to be illiteraCe. 245' The reLevance of per capita income leveis to a countryrs abirity to reach highlevels of literacy is lndicated by conparing the riteracy levers of ihe difrerentlncome groups among the developing countries. By I9g0 the upper-income group hadreached a literacy rate of 82 per cent for adurt males and 22 per cent for femares,while in the low-income group only 52 per cent of the adult ftales and 29 per cencof the adult females rrere literate. The gituation in the least developed economieswas even erorse: only 36 per cent of adult males and 20 per cent of adult femalesr,rere literate (see table 3g) . 246. Atthough a few loe-income countries have achieved relatively high Iiteracyrates' typicatly those where significant deve]-opment of primary educ"tion "as started several decades agor ds in sri r.anka, for example, and a few of theupper-income and oil-exporting countries stirl have 10H literacy rates, higherper capita income levels generarly have alrowed greater expenditures on educatlonand consequent increases in enrolment and literacy rates. rn 19g0 the upper-incorneoir-importing group reached estimated enrolnent rates of g2 per cent for boys ageal6 to 11, and 79 per cent for girls of the sarne ager compared with 69 per cent forboys and 46 per cent for girls in the low_lncome group. In the least developedgroup' onry 5l per cent. of tshe boys aged 6 to rl were enrolled ln school and only31 per cent of rhe girrs' Another indication of the effect of per capita incone onpurchasi.ng power is the rapid groerth of enrolment rates in the oil-exporting group,in the years from 1970 to lggo, enrolment. of children aged 6 to rr rose from 52 to86 per cent for boys and from 5l to z? per .cent for giris.
**Analysis**
The text discusses the relationship between poverty, literacy rates, and economic development. It highlights how poverty and low per capita income affect the ability of countries to provide education and maintain literacy rates. The text also compares literacy rates among different income groups and countries, showing a correlation between higher per capita income and higher literacy rates.

**Category**
Education, Economic development