Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru (MS)

Bengaluru, Oct 20: Gram panchayats, which play a crucial role in local administration and implementing government policies, have a significant number of members who are not literate. In Karnataka, 6,346 members of gram panchayats are illiterate, amounting to around 10% of the 94,775 members statewide.

In December 2023, the first phase of a programme to identify and educate illiterate gram panchayat members was conducted under the National Gram Swaraj campaign, led by the Abdul Nazeer Saab Rural Development Organization and the Ministry of Panchayat Raj. This initiative helped educate 3,011 members, including 2,403 women and 608 men, to some extent in reading, writing, and mathematics.

The second phase of the program began on September 1 and will continue until October 20. Training has already been completed for retired teachers, literacy campaigners, gram panchayat librarians, and experienced adult educators.

The plan involves at least 100 hours of one-on-one instruction over 50 days, with two hours of teaching each day. Teachers received three days of lesson-related training, and the syllabus includes topics such as leadership, health, environment, cooperation, and the prohibition of child labor. An evaluation will be conducted at the end, followed by a felicitation ceremony.

Priyank Kharge, Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, said, “In 2022, the Sakshara Samman programme was introduced. The illiterate gram panchayat members become educated in 50 days. Last December, we found success by organizing such a program. Honorary payments, including a kit for the teachers, were also provided.”

Koppala district tops the list with 695 illiterate members, followed by Belagavi (681), Yadagiri (670), Raichur (650), and Kalaburagi (640).