Grandmothers hit the books

Ganderbal, Oct 12: Saja Begum, an octogenarian and a grandmother, was among hundreds of those who, in a bid to be called ‘literate,’ appeared in the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Test (FLNAT) for 2025 in Ganderbal district.

Saja, accompanied by her grandchildren, reached the Government Middle School Ramwari in the education zone Hariganiwan, Ganderbal, to appear in the exam on Sunday.

The exam held across J&K saw a good number of illiterates participating.

The elderly participants expressed happiness in having the experience of being at a school.

“I have never been to school, and I see my children going. It is a new experience for me. We are grateful to the teachers and the Education Department for providing us with this opportunity,” said Nazir Ahmad.

He said that they used finger and thumb prints on their documents, but now they could sign and recognise the alphabet in their names.

FLNAT, a nationwide exam held under India’s New India Literacy Programme (ULLAS), evaluates the basic reading, writing, and numeracy skills of learners aged 15 and above.

Successful participants receive a certificate from the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) upon qualifying, and the test is conducted in the learner’s regional language to align with the National Education Policy 2020.

The Head teacher at GMS Ramwari, Muhammad Imran, said, “It is a key component of the ULLAS initiative, a centrally-sponsored scheme by the Government of India. The test covers reading, writing, and numeracy.”

He said the FLNAT is held in all districts of each participating state and union territory, with the District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs) and government-aided schools serving as test centres.

The test is developed to evaluate the foundational literacy and numeracy skills of registered illiterate learners.

An official said that the participation of the elderly in the FLNAT was a core goal of the ULLAS programme.

It helps older people who missed out on formal schooling to gain essential literacy and numeracy skills, which can significantly improve their quality of life, dignity, and self-reliance.

As per the central education ministry, nearly 6.5 lakh illiterate learners from Assam, Sikkim, and J&K participated in ULLAS FLNAT on Sunday to become literate.

“ULLAS is an inclusive scheme which encourages a journey for illiterate people from the darkness of illiteracy to the light of literacy,” the ministry posted on microblogging site ‘X’.