NSS volunteers may be roped in to spread financial, digital literacy

Volunteers of the National Service Scheme (NSS) may be entrusted with the responsibility of spreading financial and digital literacy among the people of the state. Speaking at the inaugural session of the ‘All India Adult Education’ conference, on Saturday, governor Ram Naik said that NSS volunteers would be involved in taking the literacy agenda forward. The conference marked the beginning of the diamond jubilee celebrations of Literacy House, Lucknow.

Naik, also the chancellor of state universities, said, “Recommendations of the three-day conference can be compiled and sent to me so that we can take it forward through the National Service Scheme volunteers, spread across degree colleges and universities.” Sessions on the role of Literacy House, Women literacy issues and educationrelated challenges in the 21st century were organised on the first day of the conference.

SC Rastogi, director, state resource centre and Jan Shikshan Sansthan, said, “A number of points came up on the inaugural day itself. Need for promoting digital and financial literacy was felt to be the need of the hour, especially with the recent demonetisation move. The speakers agreed that initiatives have to be taken to spread awareness on aspects like cashless transitions and plastic money.” Literacy levels still remain row in UP, especially among women and backward classes. Speakers said that more creative initiatives were needed to take literacy to the disempowered sections of society. “The time has come to think beyond alphabets and letters and empower people with digital literacy, and legal and electoral rights,” said a panelist. G Pattanaik, chairman of the literacy board, chaired the session ‘Literacy in the 21st century’. Literacy House was started in Lucknow in 1956 by American activist Welthy Fisher. “It has played a major role in spreading literacy,” said Pattanaik.