Sri Vijaya Puram | March 16, 2026
The Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands has achieved a historic milestone in the field of education and social development by being formally declared a fully literate Union Territory under the ULLAS – Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram (New India Literacy Programme – NILP).
The flagship adult education initiative, ULLAS–NILP, was implemented in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands during 2023–2024 with a focused and systematic approach aimed at identifying and educating non-literate adults across the Islands. As part of the programme, comprehensive surveys were conducted to identify non-literate individuals. Following the survey, eligible learners were enrolled at nearby Samajik Chetana Kendras, where they were imparted Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) through the dedicated efforts of voluntary teachers. All enrolled learners later appeared for the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Test (FLNAT) conducted by the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) and successfully qualified.
The Adult Education Bureau, Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSE&L), Ministry of Education, Government of India, has laid down a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for declaring a State or Union Territory fully literate. The SOP was communicated through letter No. 8-4/2024-AE.2 dated December 11, 2025. According to the prescribed guidelines, the determination of full literacy is based on population data from the Census of India 2011, projected population figures, and the proportion of non-literate adults identified through the ULLAS survey.
Under the SOP provisions, if the number of non-literate individuals identified through the ULLAS survey is less than 5 percent of the projected population (excluding children below seven years of age), the State or Union Territory is considered to have achieved a literacy rate of more than 95 percent and may be declared fully literate. Alternatively, a ULLAS survey confirming that 95 percent of the population is literate also qualifies the region for the declaration.
Following these guidelines, the State Literacy Mission Authority (SLMA), Andaman and Nicobar Islands, carried out the necessary assessments to determine the literacy status of the Union Territory. As per Census 2011, the total population of the islands stood at 3,80,581, including 40,878 children in the age group of 0–6 years. According to projections for 2025 by the National Commission on Population (NCP), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the total population is estimated at 4,05,000, while the number of children in the 0–6 age group is 21,922, as per data from HHS, SS, ANI. Excluding the 0–6 population, the projected population in 2025 stands at 3,83,078, of which 5 percent amounts to 19,154 individuals.
The ULLAS Survey conducted in 2023 identified 3,387 non-literate individuals, which is significantly lower than the benchmark figure of 19,154 (5 percent of the projected population). This clearly indicated that the literacy rate of the Union Territory had crossed the 95 percent threshold, meeting the criteria required for declaration as a fully literate region.
Subsequently, the State Literacy Mission Authority conducted additional ULLAS surveys in 2024 and 2025 to identify remaining non-literate individuals above the age of 15 years. The identified learners were enrolled at Samajik Chetna Kendras and provided with literacy training to enable them to appear for the FLNAT examination. Between 2023 and 2025, a total of 6,087 learners successfully qualified the FLNAT and were declared literate by NIOS. This figure includes the final batch of 492 learners who cleared the FLNAT conducted on September 21, 2025.
Upon meeting all the conditions laid down by the Ministry of Education and achieving the required benchmark, the Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands formally declared the Union Territory fully literate during his address at the 77th Republic Day celebrations on January 26, 2026.
With this achievement, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands has become the third Union Territory in the country, after Ladakh and Chandigarh, to be declared fully literate as per the prescribed SOP of the Ministry of Education.
The accomplishment marks a proud moment for the people of the Islands and reflects the sustained commitment, meticulous planning, and dedicated efforts of the Education Department, voluntary teachers, and all stakeholders involved in empowering citizens and transforming lives through literacy.
