LITERACY DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 75, 30 March 1939, Page 9

LITERACY DAY.

UNITED PROVINCES, i 500,000 SIGN PLEDGE. .1 EARNEST OF GOODWILL, (From Our Cvvn Correspondent.) BOMBAY, March 1. j Half a million persons signed a pled are 1 oil January 1">. which was olv-ervcd n< : Literacy Day throughout the I'nited Provinces. Among tin in were his Excellence Sir Harry the Coventor. I'andit (iovind Hallabh I'ant. the Premier. and the members of his t abinet.

On that (lav every literate person wa-i expected t.i ,-imi a pledge 'oindinir liim (or her) either to make one per-on literate from anions t lie illiterate ] o• ] ui- ■ la t ion iln rill j; the year, or altenia t ivcly :.. pay as an earnest of goodwill lnw.ir.l-, the niovenient the sum of two rupee*' (three shilling!, The money thus col , | leeted will j;o to a fluid out of which] bonuses will he jiaid to teachers who! ! artist in the cam|>aii;ii ami grants-ill! aid will lie made to >ehool<. Although literacy, ill the -en-e of! ! licin- aide to write a letter an I read; the an-iM'r to it. hit- -how n i;iio.<h ill ■ the past ."it) years, even n..w onl\ !>■"> out ..I e\erv 1 nun of the population are literate, as aiiaiii-t S-J in I'.iJl and le-f than )!• half a centiiix h-j.i. I'.urma le.nl- • the l!riti-h Indian province- in literacy. ' hot], li..\s and 'jii'l- h.-iirj tan.ht in liie ■ • I'.nddhi-t lnona-t criiv- of which almo-t jc\ery I'.iiruian village ha- at lea-t one.