FARIDKOT VILLAGERS PROUD OF 100 PER CENT LITERACY

Putting signatures on different documents instead of thumb impressions fills neo-literates of Shimerewala, about 20 km from here, with child-like glee, as also their co-villagers who take pride in the fact that their village boasts of cent per cent literacy.

Of the nearly 1,000 villagers, both young and old, more than 100 have landed government jobs so far on the basis of their educational achievements. Most villagers are migrants and their progeny from Bahawalpur (Pakistan), who were allotted around 1,000 acres of land owned by Muslims who crossed over to Pakistan after Partition. An octogenarian villager, Zora Singh, a gradute from Lahore, said that there were at least 200 families in the village and no member of any family was illeterate.

Interestingly, youngsters in the village take inspiration from the example of village sarpanch Sadara Singh, who secured a Bachelor's degree in technology before Partition from Lahore. Walking down the memory lane, the former sarpanch informed media that Dewan Chand was the first teacher appointed in the village government school. Dewan Chand inspired the villagers to get education and thus helped them embark on the path of self-improvement, he said.

It was on the insistence of a grateful villagers that Education Department officials never transfered the dedicated teacher from the village school. He ultimately retired from the village school. Interestingly, even Dalit residents of the village do not lag behind in education. Village sarpanch Dheerinder Kaur as also all members of her family, attend the village school.

Two Dalit youngesters were presently studying in a polytechnic, it was learnt. A villager Harjinder Singh said that five-six youngsters from the village had even gone abroad for higher studies. Whenever a politician visted the village, particularly during elections, panchayat members plead for money for strengthening educational infrastructure, including up gradation of village school to senior secondary level.

Villagers said that Lok Sabha MP Paramjit Kaur Gulshan, who recently visited this dusty village, appreciated the villagers for the success of their total literacy campaign and announced a grant of Rs 2.50 lakh out of her MPLAD funds for the betterment of the village.