Kohima, May 9 (EMN): The commissioner and secretary of School Education and SCERT, Kevileno Angami, reminded that the sustainable development goals (SDG) of the United Nations Organisation (UNO) mandate all people, including youth, male and female adults, should be literate by 2030. The mandate was to make the non-literate age group of 15 years and above literate.
The officer stated this at the inaugural programme of a three-day training for master trainers on the New India Literacy Programme (NILP), which got underway at the directorate of School Education in Kohima on Tuesday.
While the census of 2011 indicated that more than 25 crore population in India in the age group of 15 years and above were non-literate, the officer informed that the country could make seven crore people literate in the same age group through Saakshar Bharat, which was formulated in 2009.
However, keeping in mind that about 18 crore of the age group are still illiterate, she informed how the National Education Policy 2020 recommended the government take strong initiative in the community through technology to make the population literate.
While reminding the master trainers about their responsibility in making non-literates into literates, Angami informed that a timeline of five years, starting from 2022-27, has been set to educate at least five crore of the population in the country.
She informed that with the budget announcement of the government of India in 2001 and 2022 and in alignment with New Education Policy (NEP) 2020, NILP has been launched to be implemented in the timeframe of 2022-23 and 2026-27.
Dwelling on the five primary objectives of the new literacy programme, she said that emphasis is being given to the foundation of literacy and numeracy for the age group of 15 and beyond by imparting critical life skills for them to be digitally, financially and legally literate to take care of their health, families and children among other cases.
The commissioner and secretary also informed that through the programme, they would also be imparting vocational skills to the non-literates to enable them to become employable and take up enterprises.
Reiterating that such a mandate lies on the shoulders of the master trainers, she recounted how GoI has been initiating various literacy programmes and schemes since 1951. She cited the National Literacy Mission established in 1988, Saakshar Bharat in 2009 and Padhna Likhna Abhiyan in 2021, the latest being NILP.
Stating that the country still has more than eight crore non-literates, she added that the number of non-literates would vary from place to place.
In the case of Nagaland, Angami informed Eastern Mirror how they have targeted 44,000 people under Padhna Likhna Abhiyan during the past year, out of which 34,948 got enrolled while 33,482 appeared and accordingly were certified in three districts of Kiphire, Tuensang and Mokokchung.
In the second phase to be commenced this year, Angami informed that they are targeting about the same figures as last year and have selected Mon and Kiphire districts. Angami said that Kiphiri being an “aspirational district” has been selected for the second time. It was informed that they are also proposing to cover Dimapur.
However, she asserted that in the new education programme, they would be required to school non-literates whose occupation and age would vary from those children in formal education, who are usually malleable, receptive and disciplined.
Angami was optimistic that the participants would be able to handle the challenges as they go back to their respective places to execute the responsibilities given to them.
“The mandate on the master trainers is huge,” she said while reminding them to work sincerely to be ‘motivated in order to motivate others.’
“If we are innovative and ingenious, we will definitely make the population literate,” she added.
Acknowledging the presence of the delegates from Tripura and Meghalaya besides Nagaland, she informed that the representatives from Manipur could not turn up due to the prevailing situation in their state.
The principal director of School Education, Thavaseelan K, and the director, Wonthungo Tungoe, expressed hope that the master trainers would have an engaging and productive training programme and get maximum benefit. The officials also reminded the trainers to be attentive, especially those from Kiphire and Mon as NILP would be implemented in their districts.
Two resource persons from Delhi, namely, Dr. Bani Bora, senior consultant of CNCL, and Rohit Nainwal, consultant of CNCL, are among others who would be taking up various issues related to NILP during the training programme.