Maha teachers flag rising workload with new scheme

MUMBAI: Teachers of government and state-aided schools in Maharashtra are up in arms over the state education department's decision to carry out physical inspection of adult literacy classes running under the ULLAS (Understanding of Lifelong Learning for All in Society) Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram or New India Literacy Programme.

- Niraj Pandit

The inspection, they say, will increase their burden of non-educational responsibilities such as enrolling and evaluating learners and uploading the data on the ULLAS app, leaving little time for teaching; it will also compromise the safety of students, who are enrolled as volunteer teachers under the scheme.

Officials, however, insist that the inspection will push schools which are lagging in implementation to step up and start adult literacy classes.

Lofty goals Union minister of state for education Jayant Chaudhary on Monday told the Lok Sabha that India's literacy rate had climbed significantly in recent years, from 67.77% in 2011 to 77.5% in 2023-24, with female literacy improving significantly from 57.93% to 70.4%.