Literacy Campaign Yet to Meet Target After 15 Years
It has been more than a decade and a half since a nationwide literacy campaign was launched with the aim of eradicating illiteracy from Nepal. However, the goal has not yet been achieved.
In the early years, the campaign appeared effective, but in recent times it has slowed down. According to government data, 10 districts of the country have not yet been declared fully literate. The Centre for Education and Human Resource Development (CEHRD) reports that 67 districts have been declared fully literate so far, while eight districts in Madhesh Province and two districts in Karnali Province remain pending.
The districts yet to be declared literate in Madhesh Province are Saptari, Siraha, Dhanusha, Mahottari, Sarlahi, Rautahat, Bara, and Parsa. In Karnali Province, Kalikot and Dolpa are yet to be declared literate. Out of 136 local levels in Madhesh Province, 129 local levels are still pending declaration, according to the CEHRD Deputy Director General.
Literacy Measurement
As per the global practice of the United Nations, any district, municipality, or province where at least 95 percent of the total population is literate can be declared literate.
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According to recent data, the literacy rate among the population above five years of age is 76.2 percent.
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Male literacy rate stands at 83.3 percent, while the female literacy rate is 69.4 percent.
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For the age group 15 to 60 years, the overall literacy rate is 85 percent.
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Out of the total population above five years of 26,725,295, a total of 20,377,980 people are literate, according to government statistics.
Campaign Background
The government launched the literacy campaign in 2065 B.S. with the target of eradicating illiteracy within two years. Since then, the campaign has continued every year, but the goal has not been met. Over the past 15 years, nearly 10 billion rupees have been spent on the literacy campaign.
Nepal first made a written commitment to eradicate illiteracy by 2015 at the international conference held in Jomtien, Thailand, in 2000.
An education expert remarked that the campaign has not achieved the expected success because the responsibility of ensuring literacy was never clearly defined.
“Before federalism, the campaign was entrusted to government employees, but the reality was overlooked that employees were not people-oriented, so the results were not as expected,” it was noted. “After federalism was implemented, confusion over whether the responsibility lay with the federal, provincial, or local level created further problems, which affected the outcomes.”
Meanwhile, the CEHRD Deputy Director General stated that despite limited resources, the achievements of the literacy campaign are still positive.
