A bulk of people in capital without lights

Bishnu Prasad Aryal
Kathmandu, July 22

A big number of people at the centre of the capital of Nepal remain under the shadow of lights. The number of illiterate people is shocking here.

According to the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC), 8,130 illiterate and 24,143 literate people were recorded from a sample survey recently carried out in 8,175 households of 35 wards in the KMC.

Among them, 5,552 were women and 2,104 men aged between 15-60 years, said Hari Kunwar, branch chief at the education and sports section under the social welfare and development division of the KMC. “Rest of them were of other ages,” he told this daily.

Total number of population the survey covered is 34,456 among which 16,779 were females and 17,677 males. “The number of illiterate in the capital city where everything is available is shocking,” said divisional chief Dr Babu Ram Gautam.

The high rate of illiteracy were recorded by 1,921 persons in 1,174 households of ward no 33, 274 persons in 142 households of ward no 27 and 120 persons in 66 households of ward no 12.

There are about 2 million people and 100,000 house holds living in the KMC. According to the national population Census 2001, the literacy rate of Nepal stands at 53.74 per cent and female literacy at 42.49 per cent.

Dr Gautam said that the high illiteracy rate owed to the migration from other parts of the country, traditional and ethnic values, and sexual discrimination.

Renu Lama, volunteer teacher of the literacy campaign at ward no 15, said that the illiteracy rate was higher in ethnic families such as Newars, Tamangs and Sherpas. “My mother was also illiterate even if she were KMC citizen,” she said.

As part of the government’s literacy campaign, the KMC has been running literacy classes of 3-month period each time three classes in all the 35 wards. In January, there were 98 class centres operated in 32 wards excluding 19, 21 and 24. A total of 2,335 persons of all ages including 28 men were enrolled in the classes.

Second phase of the literacy programme has been recently started in the respective wards. “The students are being enrolled,” said Lama. “Wives of advocates, army and police officers, and business persons as well as domestic helps also have been enrolled in my centre,” she added. “A woman, who is founder of Read Model Secondary School, has got admission in my centre now.”

The government provides about Rs 800,000 including stationary, books and allowance for volunteers in each phase. One volunteer, who is paid Rs 1,000 only, is assigned in each centre with about 30 students and three inspectors to monitor all the centres. Kunwar said that the records of second phase was yet to be collected and updated as the students were still being admitted.