Literacy mission to focus on Bihar women

PATNA: After the panchayat elections in April-May this year, the elected mukhiyas and sarpanchs would have the added responsibility of supervising the implementation of literacy drive to make adult women literate under the National Literacy Mission (NLM).

The state government has set the target of making one crore adults both male and female – literate by the end of the next fiscal. Incidentally, both the Centre and the state government have put more premium on making adult women literate, since it is felt that this would motivate women to make use of other government schemes for the social, health and economic betterment of their families.

said NLM director general (DG), Jagmohan Singh Raju.

The state s HRD minister P K Shahi spoke in the same vein and added that his department was committed to make the female literacy drive successful to strengthen female empowerment.

As per the 2001 census, the state s literacy rate was 47.53% against the national average of 64% a gap of around 17%. Similarly, the state s male literacy rate was 60.30%, compared to the national 75%. On the other hand, the state s female literacy rate of 33.57% was far below the national average of 54% a gap of around 21%. Interestingly, the gap between male and female literacy in the state is glaring at over 26%.

Obviously, women s literacy programme suffered on account of girl children being ignored in the previous decades. The state HRD department has prepared a report on the status of female literacy in the state s 38 districts to ascertain the efforts needed during the implementation of the scheme. Shahi said the scheme would begin even before the panchayat elections are completed in April-May this year.

As per the HRD s calculation, 10 districts fall in the first category with female literacy being in the range of 46.92 and 33.33%. These are Patna, Munger, Rohtas, Aurangabad, Bhojpur, Bhagalpur, Nalanda, Buxar, Jehanabad and Arwal. The female literacy rate in 13 other districts, placed in the second category, is between 31.24 and 25.36%. These districts are Kaimur, Begusarai, Gaya, Muzaffarpur, Vaishali, Siwan, Saran, Sheikhpura, Lakhisarai, Nawada, Samastipur, Darbhanga and Khagaria.

The rate of female literacy in 15 districts is alarmingly low, requiring special attention and monitoring to increase it. The female literacy in these districts is in the range of 24.64 and 14.66%. The districts concerned are: Gopalganj, Banka, Saharsa, Madhubani, Jamui, Sitamarhi, Katihar, West Champaran, Purnia, East Champaran, Sheohar, Madhepura, Araria, Supaul and Kishanganj.

Read more: Literacy mission to focus on women in Bihar – The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/Literacy-mission-to-focus-on-women-in-Bihar/articleshow/7344129.cms#ixzz1BvNZfVOh