The article says "88 percent of Indians can’t speak English (let alone read it)" I'm not a native English speaker, but that sentence implies that reading English is more difficult than speaking it. But in my experience, most people who learn English as a second language learn to read first, especially if they specifically learn it to use the Internet. For native English speakers: Is my interpretation of that phrase c…
I'm a non-native English speaker. I agree, reading English is easier than speaking. In rural places basic grammar is not taught properly. Even if they do learn to read somehow with the help of dictionary or internet, Speaking English is far out of their reach. For using App reading ability is enough. But for overall, English as medium of communication this is very problematic. This is more frustrating when you are among elite (for academics or career purpose) who speak English fluently.
Most important thing is they can't express their idea. For using App this isn't big problem, but as overall expressing idea this is a barrier.