The literacy campaign was initiated in 2009 with an objective to achieve total literacy by 2015. However, only around 10 percent of districts have met the target in the past five years. The campaign, meanwhile, has been deferred for a year as many districts, severely affected by the April 25 earthquake, have been unable to run literacy classes.

The Non-Formal Education Centre (NFEC), the government body commissioned with conducting literacy classes, said it put on hold the programme as the quakes damaged hundreds of community learning centres and schools in several districts. The government had planned to eliminate adult illiteracy in the country this year by enrolling 1.74 million adults and prioritised Nuwakot and 16 Tarai districts where illiteracy rate is high. The government has already spent around Rs 6 billion in the campaign to educate the country’s adult population. However, only eight districts have achieved “total literate” status so far.

With the postponement in the campaign, the NFEC has also asked the earthquake affected districts to refund the budget allocated to run literacy classes. The government had disbursed around Rs 1.1 billion for the campaign this fiscal year.