While 9 districts in the country are yet to become literate, Dolpa is on the verge of declaring literacy, while all 8 districts in Madhesh are classified as illiterate.

A commitment has been made to declare all 8 districts of Madhesh Province literate by the coming Baikh. 

In the preparatory interaction program for declaring a literate Madhesh province organized by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology in Janakpur on Sunday, a commitment has been made to increase the literacy rate of Madhesh Province from 63.5 percent to 100 percent. About 27 percent of the population of Madhesh Province is still illiterate. The literacy rate of Rautahat and Mahottari in Madhesh Province is at the bottom of the country. 

Education Minister Mahabir Pun said that he was surprised to hear that Madhesh Province was still illiterate. ‘I came to know after the Chhath festival that all 8 districts of Madhesh Province have not been declared literate,’ Minister Pun said, ‘During Dashain-Tihar, many calls were received from teachers and students from Madhesh Province. Teachers complained about not receiving their salaries.’  According to him, information came in that same process that districts of Madhesh Province had not been declared literate. ‘It was one of the many surprises in my life to hear that Madhesh Province was not declared literate.’

Minister Pun recalled that when he was studying in the hills and later moved to Chitwan, he was taught by teachers who were Madheshi. ‘At that time, I thought that people in Madhesh were very literate,’ he said, ‘but, the current situation is exactly the opposite.’ 

Madhesh Province’s Education and Culture Minister Rani Sharma Tiwari said that the education situation in Madhesh Province is pathetic due to the lack of matching of teacher posts, the state government being deprived of authority and the local level not managing teachers. ‘The federal government has also discriminated in the budget allocated to the education sector in Madhesh. The provincial government has also allocated a small budget,' she said, 'The problem is in education, but investment in Madhesh Province is being made in other areas.'

Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Shiva Kumar Sapkota, while presenting a working paper, informed that Rs 1.35 billion has been spent in the last 6 years to make Madhesh Province literate.

He said that the Madhesh Province government and local levels should spend the Rs 150 million allocated in the current fiscal year and declare it a literate province in the coming Baisakh. 'It is too late to declare Madhesh Province literate,' he said, 'It should be declared a literate province as soon as possible.'

Acting Secretary at the Ministry of Education and Culture of Madhesh Province, Dilip Thakur, said that there is a problem in the education sector in Madhesh Province. He told the problem that Dalit, Muslim and underprivileged children still do not have access to education. 'Many children in Madhesh Province have not been able to reach schools,' Thakur said, 'There is also a problem with quality education. There are no teacher vacancies.'

He said that last year, the Madhesh government appointed 60 volunteer teachers and deployed them in schools where there was a shortage of teachers, and is preparing to appoint 82 volunteer teachers this year.