New Delhi, Dec 14 (IANS): Minister of Human Resource Development M.M. Pallam Raju Saturday said there is immense need of public-private partnership to completely eradicate illiteracy from society.

Inaugurating the two-day Rotary South Asia Literacy Summit in the national capital, he said apart from education, other factors like water and sanitation need attention as it helps bring kids to schools.

"With the help of various schemes, government has attained much success with literacy going up 26 percent among men and 17 percent among women in the South Asian region over the past 20 years," added the minister.

Speaking on the occasion Rotarian Shekhar Mehta, Past Rotary International director and convenor, South Asia Literacy Summit, said: "Total literacy in South Asia is a dream and looking at the time frame, we have to work on a war footing to ensure 100 percent literacy by 2017."

He said in the next two years, more than 10,000 schools will be opened to cater to the need for quality education for children.

This is an enormous challenge where not only Rotarians but non-Rotarians too will participate, said Mehta.