Hon’ble Lt Governor Brig (Dr) BD Mishra (Retd) takes part in ULLAS Mela to declare Ladakh a fully functional literate Union Territory in India.

Hon’ble Lt Governor Brig (Dr) BD Mishra (Retd) takes part in ULLAS Mela to declare Ladakh a fully functional literate Union Territory in India.
Leh, June 24, 2024: The Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, Brigadier (Dr) BD Mishra (Retd) took part in ULLAS Mela organised by the Ministry of Education, Government of India in collaboration with School Education Department, UT Ladakh, at the Sindhi Sanskriti Kendra (SSK) Leh to declare Ladakh a Fully Functional Literate Union Territory in the Country.
To achieve the target of 100% literacy by 2030, the Government of India has implemented a centrally sponsored scheme called Nav Bharat Saksharta Karyakaram or New India Literacy Programme (NILP) for the period of Financial Years 2022-2027. ULLAS is the short form of Understanding of Lifelong Learning for All in Society and holds the motto of Jan-Jan Sakshar. The scheme is targeted at all non-literates of age 15 years and above.
Congratulating all those above 15 years who are literate now along with the trainers, the HLG called the declaration of Ladakh as a fully functional literate union territory a landmark achievement for the region. He stated that the enthusiasm shown by old age people to learn to read and write amazes him. He congratulated the trainers for bringing all those willing to learn to read and write in a single place and also appreciated the initiatives taken by the Ministry of Education to improve standards in Ladakh.
Stating that all these programmes are part of the National Education Policy (NEP)-2020 envisioned by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi ji to highlight the importance of education, the HLG recalled the challenges faced by students to enrol in educational institutions, which would happen only once a year and now initiatives have been taken to enrol students twice a year. He informed about initiatives the UT Administration took to improve education standards in Ladakh, particularly the detachment of teaching/non-teaching staff, ensuring that no government schools in Ladakh remain headless and maintaining the student-teacher ratio.
Highlighting that Ladakh has achieved the goal of making the region a fully functional literate UT in 2024 itself, the HLG stated that the challenge now is to remove the mental barrier of society to look for government jobs. He also stated that society must teach the youth to become job providers instead of job seekers to reduce the unemployment gap. He further stated that Ladakh requires more entrepreneurs and start-ups and asked the Ministry of Education to think of a comprehensive plan in this regard. The HLG expressed hope to see the new literates making their presence felt in society and also show the path to future generations to take society forward.
The HLG felicitated new literates from Leh and Kargil on the occasion. He also released the Annual Report of School Education Department, UT Ladakh.
Secretary, Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Education GoI, Shri Sanjay Kumar, IAS, termed the day a ‘Red Letter Day’ for Ladakh and congratulated the people of Ladakh along with the new literates. Calling books as windows to the outside world, he highlighted the special features of the New India Literacy Programme. He also highlighted various initiatives being taken by the Ministry of Education to improve education standards in Ladakh.
Principal Secretary, School Education Department, UT Ladakh, Shri Sanjiv Khairwar, IAS, welcomed the guests and highlighted various initiatives taken by the department to improve the literacy rate in Ladakh. Director, School Education Department, UT Ladakh, Shri Tsering Paldan, JKAS, gave the thank you speech.
A film on the journey of ULLAS Programme in Ladakh was also screened on the occasion.
Earlier, the HLG inspected the mobile science lab along with stalls set up by different schools from UT Ladakh. He also interacted with teachers.
Chief Executive Councillor, LAHDC Kargil, Dr Mohd Jaffer Akhoon; Advisor to the HLG, Dr Pawan Kotwal, IAS; Executive Councillor, LAHDC Kargil, Shri Zakir Hussain; Principal Secretary, Shri Sanjiv Khirwar, IAS; ADGP Ladakh, Dr SD Singh Jamwal, IPS; Joint Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy, GoI, Smt Archana Sharma Awasthi; officials, teachers and lecturers from School Education Department along with new literates were present during the function.