After repeated failed attempts to cut down illiteracy rate, the District Education Office (DEO) in Panchthar has come up with an innovative idea to eradicate mass illiteracy in the district.
After repeated failed attempts to cut down illiteracy rate, the District Education Office (DEO) in Panchthar has come up with an innovative idea to eradicate mass illiteracy in the district.
Called ‘passing the knowledge from one to other’, as per the literacy campaign each literate person will help make another person become literate and the latter will do the same until a satisfactory literacy rate is achieved. The DEO had come up with the novel idea to educate approximately 9,000 illiterates in the district after approximately Rs 10 million spent on literacy campaigns over the years failed to yield any positive results.
The DEO has stated that they will search for all the illiterate people in the district, even elderly ones, and include them in the campaign. Stating that even literate people might have been listed as illiterate in the preliminary survey, the DEO stated that the number of illiterate individuals in the district might come down significantly during ‘cross-reference’.
While the individuals will participate in the campaign voluntarily, the DEO has already arranged for essential educational materials, including text books and practice books.
“The campaign is specifically designed to eliminate expenses for teachers and administration costs. The volunteers can specify the location where they want to work themselves, and after making one individual literate, they will be given a certificate,” said District Education Officer Gyanmani Nepal. A mechanism has already been put in place to provide the certificates to the volunteers for their service at the recommendation of the specific VDCs.
Meanwhile, various political parties, civil society members, teachers and students have pledged to provide support to the campaign. Roop Narayan Jabegu, chairperson of the local teacher’s union said that they were ready to extend all the support they can provide for the campaign.
The government has spent approximately Rs 10 million since the start of the districtwide literacy campaign in March 25, 2013 with an aim to make 15,245 individuals in the district literate. The campaign had gained momentum following the government declaration which states that illiterate individuals will be devoid of government services and facilities, including allowance for elderly, disabled, widow, discount and privileges for women and Dalit, and non-issuance of passport, to name a few. The government decision is set to come into effect next year.
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