MIDNAPORE: Birsingha village, the birthplace of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, the symbol of Bengal’s education, achieved 100% literacy on Monday. Sixty-three villagers, who had been found to be illiterate in a survey conducted by district authorities earlier, successfully took an examination.
Vidyasagar’s 201st birth anniversary will be celebrated on September 29. “We met our goal two days before the birth anniversary of the great man, who played a major role in literacy by bringing out low-cost primer Barna Parichai,” said Shaktipada Bera, headmaster of Birsingha Bhagavati High School.
Two years ago, district magistrate Rashmi Kamal had come to the village on the occasion of Vidyasagar’s 199th birth anniversary. On hearing that 63 people were illiterate, she entrusted Ghatal subdivision officer Suman Biswas with the responsibility of educating them.
Biswas and Bera then embarked on a mission to get the villagers to school. “They initially showed some resistance, but then started learning fast. The outbreak of Covid-19 brought the programme to a grinding halt, but we kept in touch with the students so that they did not unlearn their lessons,” said Bera.
On September 9, World Literacy Day, the pathshala was resumed. “They all passed the literacy exam. But we have to take them forward. We have to provide them with story books so that they can read and write properly,” said Biswas.
Kamal said:“Vidyasagar’s birthplace should not have any illiterate person.”
