Kaptipada: Various literacy programmes are being undertaken at government and non-government levels to expand education by spending crores of rupees. International Literacy Day is observed September 8 to mark the determination of various stakeholders in this regard.
However, adult education has not made much headway in Kaptipada block of Mayurbhanj district as it has remained confined to pen and paper only.
The authorities have failed to motivate elderly people, particularly of tribal communities, towards literacy.
Experts were of the view that adult education holds much importance in tribal-dominated pockets in Mayurbhanj. Literacy pushes the frontiers of awareness about various government programmes among people.
Successful implementation of these programmes depends on the level of literacy and consciousness people.
According to reports, 60 per cent of the population in Kaptipada belongs to tribal communities. Several NGOs have been working here to make them literate and bring them to the mainstream.
The failure of the adult literacy programme is evident from the fact many elderly people enrolled in various social welfare schemes like pension and NFSA still use their fingerprints in official documents.
A major chunk of the elderly people is unable to put their signatures. Besides, poor attendance of elderly people in examinations is a pointer to ineffective implementation of adult literacy in the block.
The reports said there are 30,000 students in the block. The literacy rate in the age group of 6-14 years is 55 per cent. On an average, literacy among boys is 55 per cent while it is 45 per cent among girls.
The literacy rate among ST boys is 40 per cent while it is 31 per cent among ST girls, official sources said.
Experts observed that there was a need for proactive steps to push literacy level among tribal people amid allegations that scores of ST/SC children are still out of schools.
All this is happening despite efforts like noon meals, free uniforms, free bicycles and free text books for studnets.
It is said some tribal students do not go to school owing to superstition and low awareness among their parents.
Experts say there is a need for a proactive drive to bring these out-of-school students under the fold of formal education in 26 panchayats of this block. PNN
