Goa has officially become a 100 per cent literate state, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant announced on Friday. The declaration was made on the occasion of the 39th Goa Statehood Day and marks a key milestone in the state’s education journey.
Speaking at an event in Panaji, Sawant credited the success to the implementation of the ULLAS Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram (Understanding for Lifelong Learning for All in Society), also known as the New India Literacy Programme (NILP), a centrally sponsored initiative aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
“Our sustained collective efforts to strengthen the education sector with new advancements and NEP 2020 have yielded results,” the Chief Minister said.
Launched with the goal of achieving nationwide literacy by 2030, the ULLAS programme targets individuals aged 15 and above who missed out on formal education. It focuses on functional literacy — reading, writing, and numeracy — while also addressing financial literacy and essential life skills.
In Goa, the campaign was implemented through a network of schools, supported by Resource Adult Trainee Coordinators (RATCs) and a wide volunteer base that included retired teachers, NSS units, teacher trainees, and education professionals.
To support learners, the state developed multilingual primers in Konkani, Marathi, Hindi, and English, tailored to adult education needs.
Officials said a total of 2,981 non-literate individuals were identified across the state’s 12 talukas and brought into the fold of the programme. “This is not just a statistical achievement; it is a social transformation,” an education department official said.
ANI