Pune: School Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar announced that volunteers involved in the ‘Navbharat Ullas’ program, which focuses on educating illiterate individuals, will be granted additional academic marks for their contributions.
This initiative, he stated, is particularly aimed at benefiting students who are serving as volunteers, and a formal proposal will soon be submitted to the state government.
During the inauguration of the ‘State-Level Ullas Mela’ as part of the ‘Navbharat Literacy Program,’ Kesarkar emphasized the importance of involving school and college students as mentors in the literacy movement.
“Many students are already volunteering to guide illiterate individuals, and it was proposed that they should receive academic credits for this noble work.
We have accepted this suggestion and directed the Education Commissioner and the Director of SCERT to send a formal proposal to the state,” Kesarkar said. The minister also set an ambitious target to raise the state’s literacy rate to 95%.
The Navbharat Ullas program, spearheaded by the central and state governments, brings together the Ministry of School Education and Literacy, the State School Education and Sports Department, the State Literacy Mission Authority, and the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT).
At the event, Kesarkar presented awards to the winners of a teacher film-making competition, held to promote innovative teaching practices.
Along with these presentations, the ceremony honored several notable volunteers in the literacy drive, including Babai Maskar from Satara, Ruchita Kshirsagar and Sushila Kshirsagar from Baramati, and Ananya Chavan from Ratnagiri.
Film-Making Competition for Teachers Recognizes 84 Educators:
As part of ongoing efforts to encourage creative educational methods, a state-wide film-making competition was organized for teachers, headmasters, and educational staff. A total of 18,221 participants across 36 districts submitted their entries.
The competition was conducted at taluka, district, and state levels, with evaluation committees established to select the top three entries in each subject and group. Ultimately, 84 teachers were recognized and awarded at the state level for their outstanding contributions.