100 per cent literacy in 5 years likely: Prakash Javadekar

Chennai: Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar has expressed hope that it is possible to achieve 100 per cent literacy in India in next five years while inaugurating the literacy summit here on Friday.

“There are 27 crore illiterate people in India and we have 27 crore students in schools and colleges. Now, if each one, reach one and teach one and it is possible to achieve 100% literacy,” he said.

He said a first generation learner can teach his or her parents and help them to become literate. “When India got independence, there was 17% literacy in the country. After 70 years of independence, we have reached 75% literacy,” he said, adding that the number of students who are out of school is shrinking every year as the government bringing more and more children to schools through schemes like Sarva Shiksa Abhiyan.

Calling E-learning order of the day he said the platform has got tremendous potential with the DTH operators and private channels are contributing to it.

Speaking at the function, John Germ, president, Rotary International, said, “The eradication of Polio is a classical example of how Rotarians work. Now, the literacy drive is yet another ambitious project put together by the Rotarians in India and in the next few years, India will be the country with a difference.”
Sekhar Mehta, who spearheads the Rotary India Literacy Mission explained about the club's TEACH programme.”We have so far educated 61,000 adult illiterates through this programme. We also established 9,000 e-learning centres in the schools,” he said.

Rotary also honoured 6 persons with literacy hero awards for their outstanding work in the field of literacy. More than 3,000 Rotarians are participating in the three-day Rotary South Asia Literacy Summit.