INTERNATIONAL LITERACY DAY TO BE
CELEBRATED ON 8TH SEPTEMBER
SPECIAL
AWARDS TO BE GIVEN FOR ACCELERATED FEMALE LITERACY PROGRAM IN
REGIONS OF BIHAR AND U.P.
Special awards have
been instituted this year for the commendable work undertaken
in regions of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh where female literacy had
been shown to be very poor in the 2001 census. This programme
is known as the Accelerated Female Literacy Program (AFLP). Commendation
Certificates will be given to 31 selected Volunteer Teachers and
three NGOs (Ashadeep Gramodyog Sewa Sansthan, Rampur, Chetna Sewa
Sansthan, Rampur and Anan Mahila Kalyan Samiti, Rampur) in Uttar
Pradesh for their outstanding work in the AFLP. Commendation Certificates
will also be given to 5 District Magistrates (Araria, Kishanganj,
Supaul, East Champaran and West Champaran) in Bihar for their
outstanding work in mobilizing and motivating women learners in
their districts to attend literacy programmes under AFLP.
According to 2001
Census, 45 districts in the country have female literacy below
30%. Most of these districts are concentrated in Bihar, Jharkhand,
Uttar Pradesh and Orissa. Special innovative projects are being
taken up to raise the level of female literacy in these areas.
Since this problem is acute in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, to begin
with eight Low Female Literacy Districts in Uttar Pradesh have
been brought under an Accelerated Female Literacy Programme (AFLP)
which has been implemented through a network of about 97 NGOs.
Approximately, 20 lakh women have undergone literacy classes in
about 1.25 lakh centres. In Bihar, a different model has been
adopted to cover the 15 Low Female Literacy Districts with the
involvement of Panchayati Raj Functionaries, women volunteer teachers
and women self-help groups. Approximately, 30 lakh non-literate
women in 2.5 lakh centres in Bihar are under this Programme.
The National Literacy
Mission (NLM) has instituted a literacy award in memory of the
eminent Adult Educationist, late Satyen Maitra of the Bengal Social
Service League, Kolkata. The award is given every year to the
best performing districts in the country in the field of Total
Literacy Campaign, Post-Literacy Programme and Continuing Education.
The performance is judged on the basis of the evaluation conducted
by reputed Social Science Research Institutes on the norms and
guidelines laid down by the Mission. This year, the districts
selected for the award are Muzaffarpur (Total Literacy Campaign),
Ballia (Post Literacy Programme) and Guntur and Barddhaman (Continuing
Education).
In order to encourage
the institutions working in the field of literacy and adult education,
the NLM, in collaboration with UNESCO New Delhi instituted NLM
– UNESCO Award in the year 1998. The award includes a cash prize
of Rs.50,000/- and a citation. This year, Jan Shikshan Sansthan,
Mysore, State Resource Centre, Thiruvananthapuram and Hemwati
Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University, Srinagar (Garhwal) have been
selected for the award.
The 37th
International Literacy Day will be celebrated on September 8,
2003. The key aspect of the observance of International Literacy
Day is the need to mobilize the public opinion in favour of the
struggle against illiteracy. This gives an opportunity to the
Member States of the United Nations and other non-governmental
organisations to inform and mobilize public opinion and make available
national and international resources to combat illiteracy.
The National Level
Function in India is being organised in New Delhi. Shri Manohar
Joshi, Speaker, Lok Sabha will be the Chief Guest. Dr. Murli Manohar
Joshi, Union Minister for Human Resource Development will preside
over the function. Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat,
Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu and Shri Narendra Modi will be the Guests
of Honour.
