Kurnool lags behind in literacy: Collector

Kunrool: Expressing concern over the poor literacy rate in the district, District Collector C Sudarsan Reddy appealed to the officials to take the responsibility of joining the school-age children compulsorily in the schools. Addressing the special officers and MPDos in connection with the 'Vidya Sambaralu' programme here on Saturday, the collector said that the district is in the 17th place in the State in literacy rate.

ZP Ceo Suryaprakash, Station Academci Monitoring Committee observer Rajyalakshmi, Rajiv Vidya Mission project officer Padma Kumari and others were present. The collector said that teachers, angavadi teachers, village elders should responsibility to join the children in the schools as part of the Vidya Sambaralu programme. He said that the village committees were formed to identify the school-age children in all the villages in the first phase till June 11. "Kala Jatha teams should extensively propagate the Vidya Sambaralu programme in all the mandals," he said. In the second phase, mass 'aksharabhayasam' should be organized for the children in a festival atmosphere on June 12, the collector said and added that on June 13, notebooks and uniform should be supplied to the students of all the schools as part of the Right Education Day. The Collector instructed the special officers and MPDos to felicitate Telugu pundits on June 14 and certificates of appreciation should be given to the students for good handwriting and good reading ability. Likewise, June 15 should be observed Girls' Day, on June 17 Gunatmaka Vidya to be observed, on June 18 School Managements Day, and on June 19 Mid-day meal day, on June 20 children's special necessities day. Academic monitoring committee observer Rajyalakshmi said that the attendance of students in government schools has been coming down every year. "The municipal councilors, panchayat officers, village coordinators should identify the school-age children to admit them in the schools," she said. Rajiv Vidya Mission project officer Padma Kumari said that each mandal would be given a vehicle to undertake propaganda in all the areas.