Sanjay Kumar Advocates for Youth Volunteerism in Teacher Education Institutions for ‘Ullas’ Literacy Initiative

The workshop, titled ‘Volunteering for Ullas,’ focused on engaging students and teachers in achieving the goal of full literacy, a key objective of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

Shri Sanjay Kumar, Secretary of the Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSE&L), Ministry of Education, presided over a virtual workshop today aimed at fostering youth volunteerism from Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs) across India. The workshop, titled ‘Volunteering for Ullas,’ focused on engaging students and teachers in achieving the goal of full literacy, a key objective of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

The event was attended by several key officials, including Smt. Archana Sharma Awasthi, Joint Secretary, DoSE&L; Prof. Pankaj Arora, Chairperson of the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE); Ms. Kesang Y. Sherpa, Member Secretary of NCTE; and Smt. Preeti Meena, Director of DoSE&L.

Call to Action for Literacy

In his address to students and teachers from TEIs, Shri Sanjay Kumar emphasized the importance of working together to promote literacy in all segments of society. "We must come together to give the gift of literacy to those who lack it," he urged. He encouraged Teacher Educators and administrators to actively support their students in registering on the ULLAS app, a digital platform designed to streamline efforts in the Ullas: Nav Bharat Literacy Programme.

Key Presentations and Commitments

Smt. Archana Sharma Awasthi spoke about the workshop's agenda and urged the students and teachers to join the ULLAS program, which encourages community service and volunteerism.

Prof. Pankaj Arora highlighted NCTE's commitment to achieving the goal of "Jan Jan Saakshar" (literacy for all), contributing to the vision of Viksit Bharat (Developed India). He underlined the critical role of TEIs in realizing this dream.

Ms. Kesang Y. Sherpa detailed NCTE’s strategy for engaging TEIs in the Ullas initiative. She noted that for the academic session 2023-24, NCTE had directed institutions to connect 8-10 students each to volunteer as teachers for the program. These volunteers can earn two academic credits for their participation in activities related to the Ullas-New India Literacy Programme (NILP), as well as other community service projects such as NSS.

Smt. Preeti Meena concluded the session with a comprehensive presentation on the Ullas initiative, outlining its implementation steps within TEIs.

More than 18,000 Teacher Education Institutions, faculty members, and student-teachers were inducted into the Ullas initiative during the session, marking a significant step forward in achieving full literacy across India.