Once upon a time, Sikkim had to invite teachers from the neighbouring Darjeeling region to light the lamp of education. Today, the state has achieved the status of a fully literate state. Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang made this announcement today in the distinguished presence of President Droupadi Murmu. According to the State Education Department, Sikkim has attained a literacy rate of 99.82 percent. With this achievement, Sikkim has become the fifth fully literate state in India. Mizoram is the country’s first fully literate state. Under the ULLAS, or Nav Bharat Literacy Programme, Mizoram, Goa, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh, and Sikkim have so far achieved the distinguished milestone of full literacy. Notably, Ladakh is the country’s only fully organic Union Territory.
President Droupadi Murmu congratulated the State of Sikkim and all its residents on achieving full literacy. She described it as a historic accomplishment for the state and said that it has made the entire population proud.
According to the ULLAS programme under the Ministry of Education, Government of India, a state is considered fully literate when more than 95 percent of people above the age of 15 are literate. Sikkim has a population of 5,30,046 people above the age of 15. Through a survey, 15,361 illiterate adults were identified, out of which 14,447 passed the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Test (FLNAT) conducted by the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) and received literacy certificates. Based on this, Sikkim’s literacy rate has reached 99.82 percent.
The ULLAS programme in Sikkim was launched on November 14, 2022, at Chintan Bhawan in Gangtok by Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang. The programme was implemented across all six districts, 34 blocks, 199 Gram Panchayat Units, 1,149 wards, and all urban local bodies in the state.
Another remarkable feature of this campaign was the strong spirit of volunteerism and participation. More than 4,000 volunteer teachers, students, and community members took part in the campaign, providing free education to illiterate adults without any remuneration.
