BANGALORE: The State aims to achieve total literacy by 2012. The present percentage of 66.64 will go up to 85 per cent by the end of next year itself, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy said here on Thursday.

He was inaugurating the State-wide Suvarna Sakshara Andolana (literacy campaign) at Jaibhuvaneshwarinagar in Nandini Layout here.

"It is unfortunate that even 59 years after Independence we are still working towards achieving total literacy. Our coalition Government's dream is to ensure that every person in Karnataka is literate and this dream can be fulfilled only with the people's cooperation," the Chief Minister said.

He said the Andolana was the first step towards achieving total literacy. The campaign, being taken up by the Directorate of Mass Education and the Karnataka State Saksharata Mission Authority, will involve setting up 15,000 learning centres. Over 7.5 lakh unlettered people would learn simple arithmetic. They would learn to read and write Kannada through an 18-day course. Fifty people in the 15-35 age group would be taught at each camp. They would be provided midday meals at the camps, the Chief Minister said.

He said the Government would take up a special literacy programme in the 16 low-literacy districts. Priority would be given to women and people belonging to the backward classes.

New schools

Mr. Kumaraswamy said the Government had sanctioned 500 high schools, 235 junior colleges and 25 first grade colleges. It would construct buildings for these institutions at a cost of Rs. 127 crore. "We will appoint more teachers, increase their salaries and do everything possible to ensure that quality education is imparted to all," he added. He released two books on "easy learning" and distributed study material to learners.

Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, and Ministers Basvaraj Horatti, Ramchandre Gowda and R. Ashok spoke.

Commissioner of the Directorate of Mass Education K. Shivram and Principal Secretary (Department of Public Instruction) T.M. Vijay Bhaskar were present.

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