Adil Lateef
SRINAGAR, Mar 27: In absence of a separate Mission Directorate, the working of Centrally sponsored Saakshar Bharat Mission (SBM) has been marred in the State as the progress with regard to this Mission is not being represented at National level before the National Literacy Mission Authority (NLMA).
The SBM was launched on September 8, 2009 across the country including Jammu and Kashmir. The aim of the SBM is basic literacy, post-literacy, continuing and also skill development to illiterates, neo-literates and school dropouts. Besides, the SBM is also aimed at the overall empowerment of women by providing them school education, awareness regarding health hygiene, nutrition and skill development.
For last three years, the Education Department has not constituted the separate Mission Directorate under State Literacy Mission Authority (SLMA). Though the Department has had placed various officers as incharge Mission Directorate of SBM but they could not yield any positive results.
The SBM in State remained headless from 2009 to 2012 and subsequently the then Director of School Education of both Jammu and Kashmir Divisions were appointed as incharges respectively till March 2014. After that the Directors of SSA and RMSA were appointed incharge(s) of the SBM till March 2015 and now the Joint Director Planning, School Education (Civil Secretariat) is the incharge of the SBM.
Recently, one of the serving Chief Education Officers has been made as State Coordinator of the SBM. Sources said that in absence of a separate Mission Director, the progress and other relevant data is not being submitted to NLMA which has hampered smooth release of funds and has also delayed in creation of other required infrastructure in the State at various levels.
The SBM in the State has three-tier structure viz. district, block and Panchayat level. At district level, the concerned District Development Commissioner is the chairman of SBM and Principal of District Institute of Education and Training (DIET) is the Member Secretary. Similarly at Block level, the concerned Block Development Officer (BDO) is chairman and Zonal Education Officer (ZEO) is Member Secretary. And, at Panchayat level, the concerned Headmaster, senior Prerak (Panchayat Coordinator) and Sarpanch are responsible for the implementation of the SBM.
The District Coordinators and Block Coordinators engaged are working vis-à-vis implementation of SBM. Besides, there are 5000 Panchayat Coordinators in J&K and they are working for imparting education to the target group. Besides, the infrastructure has also been created for SBM at various levels. As per the NLMA guidelines, the progress with regard to SBM has to be uploaded on State web portal and accordingly all the relevant data both physical as well as financial is approved by NLMA after reviewing performance on the web portal.
However, in absence of separate Mission Directorate, no web portal has been created by the State, leave aside uploading progress, said the sources, adding that the State even doesn’t attend the workshops, orientations and other important meetings that are being conducted by NLMA- MHRD, Government of India in New Delhi. Also, due to non-submission of utilization and other audited reports on proper time, the districts are facing hardships as the liabilities on various components including honorarium of coordinators at various levels is pending for last two years.
The importance of SBM in J&K can be gauged by the fact that as per 2011 census, the State has poor literacy rate especially of women in North India. Besides, the other burning issues like unemployment and gender disparity may be checked by smooth and successful implementation of SBM as the skill development and women education are its basic components.
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