Union HRD minister, Prakash Javadekar said that starting next year government will undertake a program with the aim of enrolling 70-80 lakh students of the country in schools who are currently out of schools.
“There are about 70-80 lakh children who are not going to schools. We have thought of a plan to address the problem… it will be known as ‘school chalo abhiyan’,” Mr Javadekar said while addressing a seminar on International Literacy Day.
“Many states have started it already. From next year onwards we will launch it in the entire country with more planning,” he said.
He further said that a lot has happened in the country since Independence. At the time of Independence the literacy rate in the country was 14% and today it is 81%. He further stressed that literacy, as we know it today, is not enough and emphasized on bringing the digital literacy to the masses.
“When all these challenges are met, we will be able to fulfil Prime Minister’s dream of 100 per cent literacy, digital and otherwise, by 2022,” he added.
Minister of State (HRD) Satya Pal Singh also addressed the event and said people to read about India’s history which shows that India led the world in education during the 19th century.
“The problem is that we do not read… Thomas Monroe (a British administrator) had written an account in the year 1810, in which he mentioned that India had 100 per cent literacy…,” he said.
“We have a lot to do now. I am new to the Ministry but we will plan on what can be done to bring complete literacy,” he added.
