Ministry of Education holds workshop on ‘Volunteering for ULLAS’

The Ministry of Education organised a workshop on ‘Volunteering for ULLAS’ on Monday, October 7, aimed at fostering youth volunteerism from Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs) and achieving full literacy across India as envisaged in the National Education Policy 2020.
The virtual workshop was presided over by Sanjay Kumar, Secretary at the Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSE&L) under the Ministry of Education, along with students of TEIs under the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE).
Also read: GATE 2025: Did you know there is no age limit to appear in the exam, here are important FAQs candidates must know
Addressing the workshop, Kumar emphasised on collaboration to pay special attention to promoting literacy across the country in all sections of society.
He further highlighted that those without access to education should be given the gift of literacy, and that support and guidance should be provided to the students at their institutes in registering on the ULLAS App.
Other guests present in the meeting included Archana Sharma Awasthi, Joint Secretary at DoSE&L, Prof. Pankaj Arora, Chairperson at NCTE, Kesang Y. Sherpa, Member Secretary, NCTE, Preeti Meena, Director at DoSE&L, and other officials.
Also read: JNVST 2024: Navodaya Class 6 entrance exam registration ends today, apply at navodaya.gov.in
During the programme, Archana Sharma Awasthi presented the agenda of the workshop titled ‘ULLAS: Nav Bharat Literacy Programme’ and encouraged students and teachers to join the program for community service and engagement, a press release informed.
Whereas Prof. Pankaj Arora stated that the NCTE is fully committed to realising the dream of Viksit Bharat by achieving the goal of ‘Jan Jan Saakshar’.
Kesang Y. Sherpa highlighted that for the academic session 2023-24, NCTE had directed all TEIs to connect 8-10 students with the ULLAS initiative and motivate them to become volunteer teachers and contribute to nation-building cause.
Also read: Protests against school privatisation intensify in Pakistan; students, lawyers come in support of teachers’ movement
She added that the students can earn two credits for community engagement and service for active participation in activities related to ULLAS-New India Literacy Programme (NILP), NSS & Other community activities.
Likewise, Preeti Meena put forth a detailed presentation on Ullas covering its implementation steps in TEIs. Over 18,000 TEIs, faculty, and student-teachers were inducted during the session.