International Literacy Day: Bhopal Achieves Just 14% Of Adult Literacy Target As Smaller MP Districts Race Ahead
· Free Press Journal
Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Madhya Pradesh’s adult literacy drive presents a stark urban-rural contrast, with major cities lagging far behind their targets.
Bhopal has achieved just 14% of its target, while Gwalior and Sagar are at 34% each and Indore at 36%, according to district-wise Understanding of Lifelong Learning for All in Society (ULLAS) data.
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Bhopal has the weakest performance in achieving literacy among all the districts, with just 52,524 learners passing against a target of 3,76,851. This leaves 86% of its target yet to be covered.
ULLAS is aimed at people aged 15 years and above who were left out of formal schooling.
Unlike conventional school education, its success depends heavily on identifying adult non-literates, bringing them into learning activities and ensuring that they complete the assessment.
The district-level numbers therefore reflect not just enrolment, but the extent to which the adult literacy machinery has been able to reach and retain learners.
Indore hits 36%, Gwalior just 34% of literacy targets
Bhopal presents the sharpest concern. Against a target of 3,76,851 learners, only 52,524 have passed, leaving 3,24,327 still outside the programme’s achievement figure.
In other words, Bhopal has completed only about one in every seven of its targeted learners. Indore, despite having the largest target among the listed districts, has completed 36%. Gwalior has recorded 1,11,612 passes against 3,28,776.
The urban performance is particularly notable because these districts have comparatively stronger administrative infrastructure and greater access to educational institutions and volunteers.
The low achievement therefore points to a different challenge, locating and motivating adult learners, particularly those who may be working, elderly or have limited access to regular learning centres.
Jhabua, Neemuch, Vidisha surpass literacy targets
The contrast is particularly striking because several smaller districts have already completed their targets. Jhabua, Neemuch and Vidisha have recorded 100% achievement, while Burhanpur and Khandwa have crossed 97%.
Jhabua, once the illiterate district, has now recorded 1,96,967 successful learners against a target of 1,61,128. Neemuch reported 1,55,561 passes against 1,53,533, while Vidisha recorded 2,33,642 against 2,28,069.
This also raises questions about differences in community mobilisation, volunteer participation, identification of learners and follow-up mechanisms between districts.
Worst performance
District | Target | Passed | Achievement
Bhopal | 3,76,851 | 52,524 | 14%
Gwalior | 3,28,776 | 1,11,612 | 34%
Sagar | 3,32,462 | 1,13,479 | 34%
Indore | 4,93,024 | 1,78,767 | 36%
Anuppur | 1,65,836 | 65,203 | 39%
What is ULLAS?
ULLAS (Understanding of Lifelong Learning for All in Society) is the Union government’s Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram, launched in 2022 for people aged 15 years and above who did not receive adequate formal education.
The programme is broader than teaching adults to read and write. It includes foundational literacy and numeracy, critical life skills, basic education, vocational skills and continuing education.
A key feature is its reliance on volunteer-based community participation, with teachers, students and other community members helping adult learners. This makes local mobilisation crucial to the programme’s success.
MP's adult literacy gap
The figures assume greater significance given the state’s continuing adult literacy gap.
According to the 2011 Census, MP had around 1.90 crore illiterate people, with the state’s literacy rate at 69.32%, below the national rate of 72.98%. The government has run programmes to address this gap.
Under Saakshar Bharat (2014-18), 56,47,415 learners participated and 49,41,654 passed.
The Padhna-Likhna Abhiyan (2021-22) added 6,88,617 learners, of whom 5,02,398 passed. Under the current ULLAS Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram (2022-27), 99,68,100 learners have been enrolled so far and 84,46,498 have passed.
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