By TCN News,
New Delhi: Today Minister of State for Human Resource Development (HRD), Dr Shashi Tharoor launched ‘Maulana Azad Taleem-e-Balighan’ under Sakshar Bharat at New Delhi. This scheme of government will be a target focused approach to impart functional literacy, having name as HUNAR (comprising up scaling of basic education and vocational skill training) and continuing education activities to cover around one crore non-literate Muslim adults.
ON the occasion of the launching, Dr.Tharoor cited the example of his home town Kerala where there is no gap on the basis of either gender or community stressing on that Kerala model of education should be emulated by the entire country. “Literacy, as a human right, a development indicator, and a catalyst of equality, is at the forefront of national and international social policy today”. Mr. Tharoor acknowledged. The Minister of State said that low literacy level among women is alarming. There is a need to empower them, with all manner of socio-economic opportunities and especially with education.
MoS Dr Tharoor suggested that in order to reap the demographic dividend community leaders should participate with every means in this movement of educating the Muslim minorities. He further said that this scheme has aptly been named after Maulana Azad, the first Education Minister of independent India who had a universal vision on education and a secular humanist outlook.
It is worth mentioning that National Literacy Mission Authority has designed this target focused approach to enhance literacy among Muslim adults under the name of Maulana Azad Taleem-e-Balighan. It will provide opportunities for up scaling basic education to around 2.5 lakhs adults and impart livelihood skill training covering around 3 lakhs beneficiaries and provide opportunities of continuing education to the community. 410 Sakshar Bharat Districts will be covered with a financial outlay of Rs 600 crores during the current Plan Period.
Maulana Fazlur Rahim Mujaddidi from Jaipur said that there should be schools on the pattern of Central schools in the minority dominated districts of India. Shri R. Bhattacharya, Secretary, School Education and Literacy, was also present on the occasion.