Banur, June 25: In a continued push to achieve 100% adult literacy in Punjab, the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) organized an awareness seminar under the ‘Ullas’ campaign at DIET Budhanpur. The program targets citizens above 15 years of age and was held under the leadership of Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains and the supervision of SCERT Director Kiran Sharma. The seminar was led by Balwinder Singh Saini, Assistant Director-cum-Principal, DIET Budhanpur.
Addressing the gathering, Darshan Jeet Singh, DEO Elementary SAS Nagar, urged village sarpanches, panches, and citizens to actively participate in this mission. “Panchayats and local volunteers must come forward to help achieve complete literacy in their villages,” he emphasized.
Vijay Manro, Assembly Education Coordinator from Rajpura, underscored the transformative power of education, stating that the seminar had instilled a renewed sense of commitment among attendees to guide communities at the grassroots level.
State Coordinator of the 'Ullas' project, Surinder Kumar, along with Gurtej Singh Khatra and Principal Balwinder Singh Saini, gave a comprehensive presentation on key areas including identification of illiterate citizens, age-wise classification, volunteer engagement, and the methodology for delivering basic literacy and numeracy. They also shared details of the ongoing evaluation processes.
District Media Coordinator Rajinder Singh Chani skillfully anchored the event, keeping the audience informed and engaged.
The seminar witnessed participation from numerous dignitaries, including Angrej Singh, Deputy DEO; Suhinder Kaur, Block Nodal Officer; Bandna; Ranju Bala; Santosh Gakhar; Lecturers Jaswinder Singh and Lakhwinder Singh; Dinesh Puri, District President, Human Rights Trust Punjab; and Sukhwinder Singh Sukkha, President, Human Trust Rajpura Unit.
Also in attendance were Jaswinder Singh Lala, Gurjeet Singh Karala, Harnek Singh Chharbarr, Gursewak Singh Khalour, Baldev Singh Khaspur, Avtar Singh Karala, Baldev Singh Kanour, Lucky Sandhu Banur Block President, Baljit Singh and Bhajan Lal Municipal Councillors, Kuldeep Kaur and Karanjit Singh (Sarpanches), and many other prominent personalities.
The event not only emphasized the importance of adult education but also fostered a collective sense of responsibility among stakeholders to work toward a literate and empowered rural Punjab.