Kurnool to lead in literacy: DRO

Kurnool: District Revenue Officer C Venkata Narayanamma expressed her commitment to making Kurnool district a frontrunner in literacy by transforming every illiterate individual into a literate one.

Chairing the district-level convergence committee meeting on Wednesday at DRO’s chamber, she reviewed the implementation of ‘ULLAS’ (Understanding Lifelong Learning for All in Society) programme, organised by Department of Adult Education.

The DRO emphasised the need for concerted efforts to turn illiterate citizens into literates through the ULLAS initiative. She noted that in the first spell of the program last year, out of the targeted 28,872 learners, 27,200 appeared for the Fundamental Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (FLNA) Test, and 25,257 successfully passed.

For the academic year 2025–26, the district has set a target to impart literacy to 30,005 individuals. The DRO directed DRDA and MEPMA officials to identify illiterates equally from urban and rural areas—50% each—and take appropriate measures for their enrollment.

As part of ULLAS program, a nine-day survey will be conducted from April 16 to 24 to identify illiterate individuals. Following identification, literacy classes will be held from May 5 to September 18, with the FLNA Test scheduled for September 21. To facilitate this, Anganwadi centers and community halls will be utilized for two hours each evening as literacy centers.

Deputy Director of the Department of Adult Education, Chandra Shekhar Reddy, said that the program also focuses on functional, financial, and digital literacy for SHG members, cooks, helpers, night watchmen in government institutions, government school support staff, Anganwadi workers/helpers, and NREGS laborers. He described the initiative as innovative and community-focused.

He reiterated that the district aims to educate 30,005 individuals under the ULLAS program during 2025–26. All departments have been urged to extend full support to meet this goal. The literacy classes, to be conducted over five months, will be held daily for two hours.

K Jayamma (Deputy Director, Information Department), Samuel Paul (District Educational Officer), Sridhar (APD, DRDA) and other officials from various departments attended the meeting.