Ranchi, Sept. 12: A centrally sponsored adult education scheme of the department of school education and literacy, Saakshar Bharat Programme, will start soon in the districts of Ranchi, Hazaribagh, Dumka and Dhanbad, focussing on women’s education.

Governor M.O.H. Farook had launched the programme in Ranchi in July this year. Thereafter, a 10-member team in these four districts under the aegis of the state human resource development department carried out a survey to identify illiterates in the age group of 15-35. Results revealed around 12 lakh illiterates, including 7.3 lakh women.

The proposed programme will cover basic education, vocational education, physical and emotional development, applied science, sports and recreation. Primary education director D.K. Saxena said the survey report revealed the high number of female illiterates as compared to male illiterates in the four districts, and therefore a major thrust of the programme will be to raise the literacy rate of rural women from disadvantaged socio-economic groups.

“Seventeen districts with a low female literacy rate have been selected in a phased manner,” said Saxena.

Gram panchayats at district, block and village levels would implement the programme. In each gram panchayat, an adult education centre, manned by two volunteers, will take up education programmes. “We have already identified the voluntary teachers who will be trained for five days,” said Saxena.

According to the 2001 census, the literacy rate for Jharkhand was 51.13 per cent, of which male literacy rate was 67.94 per cent and female literacy rate trailed at 39.38 per cent.