Students will become volunteer teachers to increase literacy rate: 10th-12th students will get bonus marks for making illiterates literate

Rajendra Kumar Katara, Director of State Literacy Mission Authority and SCERT, said that the illiterate people of the state have to appear in the basic literacy examination of March 2025 only after doing quality reading. For this, an environment has to be created for the Ullas Navbharat Literacy Program in the state. By organizing Literacy Week from 1 to 7 September, different programs are to be organized for all sections of the state. On September 8, on the occasion of International Literacy Day, a state-level Ullas Mela will be organized at Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Auditorium, in which 10 stalls of selected activities of the state will be set up. This program will be broadcasted directly in the block headquarters in all the districts and at the panchayat level. These programs will be organized at every level. The Chief Minister will inaugurate the Ullas Literacy Centers across the state.The director was addressing the state level review meeting organized for the implementation of Ullas Navbharat Literacy Program organized at SCERT. He further said that on the occasion of International Literacy Day on 8 September, a state level Ullas fair is being organized in which the Chief Minister, Minister in charge, MPs, MLAs and public representatives will participate. An exhibition focusing on innovative activities for basic literacy and numeracy will also be organized in the fair.

He said that non-political persons in the district will also be made brand ambassadors for the Ullas programme. All districts should complete the entry of students and volunteer teachers in the Ullas portal with full dedication and at the earliest. He also said that students of 10th and 12th board exams should be selected as volunteer teachers and intensive monitoring should be done so that only the right person can get bonus marks. He also administered the Ullas oath to the district officials present today.

At the beginning of the program, Prashant Pandey, the state nodal officer of the Ullas program, highlighted the objectives of the Ullas Navbharat Literacy Program recommended by the National Education Policy 2020. He also gave a power point presentation on the various processes being adopted to create an environment in the state. He said that Ullas Praveshika and Ullas Swayam Sevak Shikshak Guide will reach all the districts within a week, after which they will be made to sit for the examination only after studying for 200 hours.

Emphasizing on innovative teaching-learning activities, Pandey said that we have to encourage such activities in every district with the help of innovative teachers, which are obtained from local resources. He emphasized on teaching-learning activities using magic box and local resources like vegetables, wood, sand, gravel etc. He also told that for this program, first of all skilled trainers have to be prepared in the district. By training each cluster in-charge, volunteer teachers in each cluster have to be trained directly and made capable.