KOCHI: Very soon, migrant workers in the state will read and write Malayalam as well as Hindi with elan. Expanding its horizon, the State Literacy Mission in the district has kickstarted preliminary initiatives for launching a special programme to teach the language to migrant labourers. Ernakulam is one of the key districts selected for the programme as it is one of the hot destinations for job-seekers from other states.
The move is hailed as yet another landmark programme in the history of the State Literacy Mission after achieving 100 per cent literacy. As part of the programme, a Pravesanotsavam (Admission Fest) will be held at Perumbavoor, where there are more than 1.5 lakh migrants, on Independence Day. The meetings in connection with the event were completed by July 27.
There will be a Friendship Committee near each study centre. The preparations for training centres are already completed and the registrations for each centre will be completed by Monday. As per the State Literacy Mission’s plan, migrants will be taught to read and write in Malayalam and Hindi. The training will be given for five hours every week and the course will be completed within five months.
The education centres will be set up in each local body which has a considerable number of migrants. There will be five to 10 training centres under each education centre in the district in which 15 to 20 students will be admitted.
The Preraks will be given additional responsibility of co-ordination of each centre. There will be one instructor for each centre. The instructors will be selected on the basis of the efficiency in handling the two languages. According to a recent survey conducted by the Kerala State Literacy Mission Authority (KSLMA), 86.24 per cent of the 1,701 migrant workers in Perumbavoor Municipality expressed their desire to attend literacy classes.
The state government conducted the first-of-its-kind survey aimed at integrating migrant labourers into Kerala society by imparting reading and writing skills. Most of the respondents had also expressed their desire to learn English apart from Hindi and Malayalam.
The training centres will be set up at Vidyakendras, libraries, schools, migrant labour shelters and other selected locations as per the convenience of the students. The related infrastructure facilities for the training will be developed through resource management.
Meanwhile, a special workshop for councillors and instructors was held at Perumbavoor Municipal Hall on Sunday. State Literacy Mission Authority director P S Sreekala inaugurated the workshop.
Landmark initiative
Ernakulam is one of the key districts selected for the programme as it is one of the hot destinations for job-seekers from other states.As part of the programme, a Pravesanotsavam (Admission Fest) will be held at Perumbavoor, where there are more than 1.5 lakh migrants, on Independence Day. The meetings in connection with the event were completed by July 27.