Mizoram literacy rate soars 90.27 per cent

Aizawl, Aug 29: Mizoram Education Minister Dr Lalthangliana today announced that the state literacy had soared up to 90.27 per cent during the last academic year and is expected to exceed that of Kerela's during the current academic session.

Talking to here today, the minister said '' preliminary reports clearly indicated that there has been a 2.27 increase in the state's literacy percentage bringing the present 88 to 90.27 per cent''.

''We are trying our best to attain the highest literate state, surpassing Kerala's record of 90.9 per cent within a couple of months'', he claimed.

The minister also added that the state government is taking all necessary steps to see to that there is a zero percentage drop out from the schools.

'' Now the education department has been geared up to literate all the children across the state,'' he said adding ''not only are we on the verge of attaining the rank of being highest literacy state but also determined to achieve one hundred per cent literacy rate''.

The state government was also taking intiatives to create nursery schools in existing primary schools through the Sarva Shiksha Abhijan programme (SSA) and has recruited a number of pre-primary teachers on contract basis for this purpose, the minister said adding there are about 2,32,680 students enrolled under SSA but 4,305 children between the ages of 6 to 14 are still out of school belonging mostly to more remote areas near the international borders.

The Minister also stated that special schemes had been introduced to increase percentage of literacy rate, especially in the districts of Lawngtlai, Mamit and border areas, where education rate was comparatively lower against the total percentage of state literacy rate.

UNI