By Uma Shankar Kar | ENS - BHAWANIPATNA
06th June 2013 09:54 AM
The ambitious Saakshar Bharat Mission of the Centre has failed to make much headway in Kalahandi in the absence of reading materials for learners and timely payment of wages to teachers working under the programme.
Aiming to promote literacy among women, the project was launched across the country on September 8, 2009. The two adult education programmes of the Centre __ Total Literacy Mission and Continuing Education Mission __ were scrapped and the Saakshar Bharat Mission was launched. The Mission, which aims at making women literate by 2012, targets districts where the literacy level is less than 50 per cent.
In Odisha, the Mission was to be implemented in Kalahandi, Balangir and Sundargarh districts. However, in a delayed move, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched the literacy project at Junagarh in Kalahandi district on February 28, 2011.
So far, selection of two Shiksha Preraks for each of the 273 gram panchayats has been done besides setting up of 3,180 literacy centres by engaging voluntary teachers. This apart, there are 11 block-level coordinators, four district coordinators and one District Mass Education Officer to oversee the implementation of the programme.
A total of 3,33,669 learners in the age-group of 15 to 35 years are currently undergoing training under the programme.
In April this year, the Saakshar Bharat Mission was extended for an additional period of one year in Kalahandi. However, the programme is facing hurdles in the absence of primers (reading materials) for the learners. Sources said for 3,33,669 learners, only 47,242 primers have been supplied till date. This apart, the preraks and coordinators are not being paid their honourarium regularly.
According to reports, two preraks are yet to get their honorarium for a period of 15 months at the rate of `2,000 per month and coordinators have not received 14 months honourarium at `6,000 per month. There is no provision of honorarium for the voluntary teachers. Although the programme was extended by another year, the district is yet to get additional funds for the extended year. Under the project, funds are released in installments to the district by the HRD Ministry. Apparently, of the total project cost of `12.18 crore, the district has received just `2.70 crore ever since the Mission was implemented.
All this came to the fore at a high-level meeting on the Mission chaired by Collector Govind Chandra Sethi on Tuesday. It was decided that the governing body of the Mission would approach the Directorate of Mass Education for release of outstanding funds under the Mission for payment of dues to preraks and coordinators.
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