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Uttarakhand becomes India’s sixth fully literate state
Uttarakhand joins the ranks of India's fully literate states, a feat attributed to widespread community efforts and government initiatives.
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Uttarakhand has become the country’s sixth fully literate state, following Mizoram, Goa, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim, according to the state government.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami described the achievement as a matter of pride for residents and said the next focus would be digital and financial literacy, health awareness and life skills. He spoke at an event at the Chief Minister’s Camp Office marking the achievement and felicitated new literates who had successfully passed examinations conducted by the National Institute of Open Schooling.
Dhami said the achievement resulted from the collective participation of teachers, students, newly literate people, volunteers and others associated with the campaign. He said reaching the literacy target was significant for a state with difficult geographical conditions and remote areas.
The state government said the target was achieved under the National Education Policy 2020 and the ULLAS-Nav Bharat Saaksharta programme. Dhami said full literacy should not be treated as an endpoint, arguing that literacy now extends beyond reading, writing and signing one’s name.
He said understanding rights and duties, digital and financial literacy and life-useful skills were increasingly important components of literacy. He said efforts would continue to help residents keep pace with changing technology and use it to improve their lives.
The Chief Minister also outlined education initiatives in the state, saying the government was focusing on quality and overall development of students. The Nanda Gaura scheme provides financial assistance to eligible girl students, while virtual classrooms and a central studio are being arranged in 500 schools to improve access to education for students in remote areas.
The state has 189 Atal Utkrisht schools, according to Dhami. The Chief Minister Balashray Yojana is being used to provide free education to orphaned children. Work is also underway to develop modern laboratories in 100 high schools and 100 intermediate schools.
Education Minister Dhan Singh Rawat said about 25,000 volunteers had contributed to the literacy campaign. He said the state had set a target of achieving 100% literacy within the next six months.
