The State Government would rope in retired schoolteachers for the National literacy Mission (NlM) programme to teach the illiterate and school dropouts.
This was decided by the School & Mass Education Department at a review meeting here on Thursday.
While reviewing the State Resource Centre (SRC) for Adult Education, department Secretary Ranjana Chopra was informed about the updates in the districts that have been included in the NlM programme in the State. Chopra was briefed about hurdles in correspondent/dispatcher selection for execution of the NlM programme.
In fact, educated unemployed youths have been demanding regularisation of their services after getting appointed as the correspondents for spreading literacy under the programme.
Thereafter, the department decided to appoint the retired teachers and engage them in the welfare programme.
For proper implementation of the programme in the next five years, Chopra suggested the officials to prepare a blueprint and involve the media in the programme to create public awareness about literacy and education.
Since the district Collectors have been appointed as Chairpersons in the literacy programme at the district level, steps would be taken to involve them in the project.
Chopra asked department officials to take initiatives to include the literacy programmes in the Collectors’ conference agenda. Kalahandi, Balangir and Sundargarh have been included in the first phase of the NlM prog
ramme while another 16 districts would be added to the programme in the second phase.