Though central government stopped its adult literacy program in March 2018 and funds to states but MP has decided to continue its literacy program. MP aims to first bring its literacy rate at par with national literacy rate and then achieve 90% literacy by 2022. National literacy program was run in the name of adult education program. State government decided to continue with the literacy program and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with.
Jan Abhiyan Parishad engaged about 30,000 students of Mahatma Gandhi Chitrakoot Gramoday University and about 1.5 lakh volunteers of the NSS. “With Central government withdrawing scheme for adult education program, it was a tough challenge for state government to continue with the literacy program. It was then that MoU with Jan Abhiyan Parishad and the National Service Scheme (NSS) was signed,” said Rakesh Dubey, coordinator of Sakshar Bharat.
Students at Chitrakoot University has course program called CM leadership Development program under which the students get a project work of 100 days. Under this project students adopt villages and make them literate. Similarly, students of NSS also make the people literate in their schemes.
Dubey said that in MP literacy program is being focused in 42 districts of the state where literacy rate in women is less than 50%. The program also aims to lessen the gap of literacy rate between male and females. At present the literacy rate in women stands at 59.24% while in male it is 78.73%.
Going by 2001 census, state fixed the target of educating 51,46,288 illiterate whereas by the end of March 2018, 5647415 candidates appeared for literacy test out of which 49,63,944 candidates passed and entered category of literate people. Considering its unique approach towards the literacy program, MP has won three national prizes in 2017.
MP literacy rate in figures
In Census 2001, MP stood 24th in India in literacy while as per 2011 census figures it has slipped to 28th position.MP has literacy rate of 69.32% while the national literacy rate stands at 74.04%. Kerala has the highest literacy rate with 93.91% while Bihar is the lowest ranked state with 63.82%.MP has improved its status in literacy ranking. According to 2001 census MP had 64.84% literate people in 2011 it increased to 69.32%.
