Karnataka: 10% population in Uttara Kannada district is still illiterate, says report

KARWAR: According to adult education department statistics, Uttara Kannada, which is known as one of the most literate districts in the state, still has 10% illiterates.
The government has devised numerous programmes to eradicate illiteracy in slums and backward areas through the Lok Shikshana directorate. However, the pandemic has hampered and delayed implementation of the programmes.
According to the 2011 census, there were over 2 lakh illiterates in Uttara Kannada.The 2021 census is yet to be conducted, hence, the exact number of illiterates at present is not known. However, according to estimates, the district has total 173,953 illiterates
After 2011, the government implemented a number of initiatives to reduce illiteracy rates. Members of women's self-help groups and gramme panchayats, who were illiterate were brought under these schemes and taught to read and write. This had a positive impact on reducing illiteracy in the district. However, it was discontinued during the pandemic. The lack of infrastructure and personnel is also impeding the effective implementation of the programme. Because of this, the staff is unable to reach the remote villages. The adult education department has now issued a notification to resume work. An official from the adult education department stated that if any illiterate person over the age of 18 is interested in learning, he will be provided with assistance.
"The Adult Education department is identifying illiterates and training them to increase the number of literates in the district. Because of COVI-19 and technical problem in providing the teachers has created some problem. This has been brought to the notice of the government," said Mangalalakshmi Patil, district adult education officer.