Govt scheme on encouraging kids to educate illiterate elderly family members soon: Javadekar

The HRD ministry is to soon launch a campaign under which school kids will be encouraged to teach illiterate elderly members of their family, Prakash Javadekar said Sunday.

Under the campaign, students from class 6 to 10 will be roped in for the eradication of illiteracy as they teach illiterate members of their family.

"The children will be the Guruji of their illiterate family members under the 'padhna-likhna' campaign which the HRD ministry is going to launch most likely in next two months," the human resource development minister told reporters here.

"Proposal is that we will provide material to the students and they will be asked to teach their parents or grandparents who are illiterate," he said.

The minister said he conceived the idea after recalling his school days when he used to help his mother, a teacher, in educating illiterate people.

He said this during his visit to Jhalana kacchi basti where he met people and party workers and took feedback about the government's work.

He had tea with a family in the kacchi basti and spoke to the family members and children and there he motivated a child to teach his illiterate grandparents.

"I asked the boy to be the 'sir' (or teacher) of his grandmother. I motivated him and this is how I work. The scheme will be formally launched in two months but today I did an informal or soft launch by asking the boy to do so," Javadekar said.

During his visit to the kacchi basti, he had lunch at a Dalit family's residence.

He had the meal at the home of Brij Mohan Kansotiya, whose wife is a beneficiary of PM Ujjwala Yojana and whose mother is a beneficiary of a social pension scheme.

He also discussed with area residents and received feedback on government schemes and programmes.

"Our work is to empower people, he said.

State Health Minister Kalicharan Saraf, Mayor Ashok Lahoti and other leaders of the party accompanied him.