Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain to be brand ambassador of Assam's Sarba Siksha Abhiyan

Tokyo Olympics 2020 medalist Lovlina Borgohain has been announced as the brand ambassador for Assam’s Sarba Siksha Abhiyan. While talking to the All India Radio, Mission Director of Sarba Siksha Abhiyan Roshni Aparanji Korati confirmed that Borgohain has agreed to play the role as the brand ambassador on Sunday. Borgohain won the bronze medal for India in the Women’s Welterweight event in the Tokyo Olympics 2020.

Lovlina Borgohain, first female athlete, second boxer from Assam to participate in Olympics

The Sarba Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) is a flagship programme by the Government of India to achieve the Universalization of Elementary Education (UEE) in a time-bound manner. The SSA was mandated during the 86th amendment to the Indian Constitution to make education free and compulsory to Children of the ager group 6-14 as a Fundamental Right. The SSA is being implemented across the nation in partnership with state governments to address the needs of the children. The programme intends to open new schools in places that do not have access to schooling facilities. It also aims at providing all types of amenities needed by these children in the school.

Borgohain became the third Indian boxer to win a medal at the Olympics game. She has brought immense pride to her state by previously winning many international medals. Along with the Tokyo Olympics 2020 bronze medal, she won the bronze medal at the 2018 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships and the 2019 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships. She is the first female athlete and only the second boxer from Assam to represent India in the Olympic Games.

The SSA has been operational in Assam since 2000-2001. As mentioned in the official Assam State Portal, according to a 2011 census report, the total literacy rate of Assam is 72.19%, the male literacy rate is 77.85%, and the female literacy rate standing at 66.27 %. However, with the growth rate of 16.93 % in Assam’s population, the literacy rate must also have moved. As per the official website of Assam’s Sarba Siksha Abhiyan Mission, the basic objectives of the SSA are:

1. To provide schooling facilities in the places deprived of schooling facilities within a time frame.
2. To enroll all children of the age group between the age of 6 to 14 years in schools, alternative schools, and back-to-school camps.
3. To retain the children within the school system for the entire period of elementary schooling.
4. To improve the quality of education by providing teachers’ training and the provision of teaching-learning materials and textbooks.
5. To promote social justice amongst socially backward communities, caste, tribes, etc.
6. To promote gender sensitivity amongst all and effective involvement of Panchayati Raj Institutions and Peoples’ Committees in the management of schools.

(Image Source: @LovlinaBorgohai- Twitter/ Pixabay)