Bardibas Declared a Literate Municipality, Becomes Mahottari's Fourth Local Level to Achieve Status

Bardibas Municipality in Mahottari district has officially been declared a literate local level, becoming the fourth municipality in the district to achieve the recognition after successfully meeting the national literacy criteria.

The declaration was made on Saturday by Madhesh Province Minister for Labour and Transport Sharada Thapa during a special programme organized in Bardibas.

According to Nepal's literacy declaration standards, a local government can be recognized as literate when at least 95 percent of its population aged between 15 and 60 years, excluding school-going children, meets the prescribed literacy standards.

Chief of the Education Section at Bardibas Municipality, Rewati Prasad Parajuli, said the municipality successfully fulfilled the required benchmark based on recent literacy assessments.

Bardibas Municipality has a total population of approximately 75,000, including around 25,000 students enrolled in formal education across 80 schools operating within the municipality.

Among the municipality's 46,526 residents aged 15 to 60 years, a total of 45,332 individuals have attained the required literacy standard, pushing the literacy rate beyond the 95 percent threshold necessary for the declaration.

Chief of the Education Development and Coordination Unit, Nirmal Ghimire, said the declaration is part of a broader district-wide campaign aimed at expanding literacy across Mahottari.

He noted that local governments have intensified literacy programmes with the goal of ensuring that 60 percent of Mahottari's local levels are declared literate during the fiscal year 2083/84 (2026/27).

Mahottari district comprises 15 local governments, including 10 municipalities and five rural municipalities.

Before Bardibas, Manara Shiswa Municipality, Matihani Municipality, and Jaleshwar Municipality had already been declared literate local levels.

The declaration reflects Bardibas Municipality's continued investment in education, adult literacy and community learning initiatives. Local officials believe the achievement will further encourage educational participation, improve social inclusion, and contribute to sustainable human development across the municipality while supporting Nepal's broader literacy and education goals.