Honourable/Esteemed President/Principal/Headmaster, respected Chief Guest/Chief Speaker /Teachers and my friends. I feel it very happy that we are assembled ‘here for a very good purpose. Today is 8th September,. Our Literacy Day.
I feel very much delighted that in such a auspicious day, I have been given a chance to speak something regarding the importance of this literacy Day.
In fact, acquisition of knowledge is a right of all like the. right to eating, drinking and speaking. Actually, who are called literate? Those who are able to read and write, they are called literate. It is a matter of great regret that there are
very less number of literate in Indian out of the whole world. Again, it’ is very shameful to tell you that in India the number of literate is very less in the state of Odisha. ‘Of course, India has planned to impart education to the illeterate people.’ It is called ‘Education for the people’.
It was first Adult education. It was started from the 2nd Oc tober, 1978, the day of Gandhi Jayanti. There are education centre which are being run by the state Government. In fact, illeteracy is a social disease. The main purpose of the education is to eliminate the old thought of the illeterates and impart them modern scientific education.
For this purpose, the role of the ‘Jana Shiksha’ is most important and vital. Today, much stress is given from internationaally, national and state level in order to eradicate illeteracy and make everyone literate. “Of course, after independence, there are no lack of schools in Odisha. But on the other hand, there is lack of interest towards education. In each and every level, greater attempts are made in order to literate the illiterates. Vari ous Adult education centres are being opened in everypart of our state. In the school, various types of education are being imparted to the students. They are provided free meals. They are also provided free dresses.
They are im parted standard education. They are provided .good edu cational equipments. Again both music and dance are also introduced in the schools. Everything is advertised through the newspaper. Efforts are. being taken to impart education through radio. TV. ‘etc. Advertisements are repeatedly given through these media, so that illeterate people will be
careful] to visualise or listen those educational programmes. But nothing of the desired sort is going to the happened. The result of all these attempts become fruitless-The result is zero. Actually, this really happens due to the lack of interest to acquire knowledge. The National Literacy Mission does this function.
From the sides of the state Government, different types of plans have been undertaken for the development of the literacy programme. There are also a large number of voluntary organisations working under the state Government. But due to the lack of interest of both students and teacher the rate of literacy is not increasing.
To make this successful, we all should be united and at the same time try to increase the number of literate. In this holy day let’ us take oath to eradicate illiteracy unitedly and make our country literate. Jai Hind.