ADULT EDUCATION
Although, due to the increase in population, the number of illiterates in 1971 was 386 million as against 338 million in 1961, the percentage of literacy has actually risen and according to the 1971 Census of India, it is 29.35 per cent as against 24.05 per cent in 1961. It has however to be noted that literacy has shown a growth rate of only 0.5 per cent during the last 10 years.
The National Policy on Education took into account the magnitude of adult illiteracy in India and recommended among other things that teachers and students should actually be involved in organising literacy campaigns, especially as part of the social and national service programme.
The following account deals with the steps which the Ministry has initiated in accordance with the national policy resolution.
Kisan Saksharta Yojana (Farmers' Functional Literacy Programme) This programme, as a component of a joint integrated project of three Central Ministries, viz. Education, Agriculture and Information and Broadcasting, is in the nature of a Pilot Project aimed at making a million illiterate adult farmers in 100 selected H.Y.V.P. districts in the country functionally literate during the Fourth Plan period. Aimed to raise agricultural production of the high yielding varieties crops, the specially-designed Functional Literacy Courses, conducted under this programme, help the illiterate farmers to acquire not only literacy skills, but also agricultural know-how which could be immediately used by them. Started initially in 3 districts in
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1967-68, the programme has been progressively extended to ten districts in 1968-69; 25 districts in 1969-70; 60 districts in 1970-71 and 80 districts in 1971-72. About 70,000 adult farmers have been made functionally literate, while about a lakh are currently participating in the Functional Literacy Courses. A few of the most significant activities under this programme, during the period under report included: (i) Preparation of specially-designed reading and teaching materials including problem-oriented materials, based on an on-the-spot evaluation study in the field in Jaipur district; (ii) Evaluation of the programme in Lucknow district and publication of the Evaluation report; (iii) Publication of a Handbook on the Programme to serve as guide to the Functional Literacy personnel at the various implementation levels; (iv) Formulation of a new strategy to meet the increasing needs of training the Funcational Literacy personnel at various levels; and (v) Constitution of Coordination Committee at the State, District and Block levels in most of the States for achieving inter-departmental coordination and integration amongst the three com- ponents of the Joint Project, etc.
National Board of Adult Education Constituted by a Government Resolution of 5th December, 1969, the National Board of Adult Education held its first meeting in May, 1970 and the second (in the form of a National Seminar on Adult Education) in September, 1970 at New Delhi and Bangalore respectively. The year under report was marked by a vigorous follow-up action in the implementation of the national blueprint for the eradication of illiteracy embodied in the 14 comprehensive resolutions on various aspects of the problems of adult education and adult literacy adopted by the Board at its past meetings. One of the most significant impacts of the implementation drive has been felt in the greater involvement of universities who, in most cases, have taken up Adult Education as an important component of their programmes of the Na- tional Service Scheme.
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Pilot Projects for Eradication of Illiteracy in Selected
Districts In pursuance of the recommendations of the National Board of Adult Education, a draft scheme, prepared for complete eradication of illiteracy among 6 million illiterate adults in selected districts in the first phase of the Fourth Plan, has been approved by the Planning Commission and is now under consideration of the Ministry of Finance Designed to mobilise the full support of educated people, students and teachers on an honorary basis, the scheme aims at tackling the illiteracy problem on a large scale within the constraints of limited financial resources and to serve as pilot projects and a forerunner of a nation-wide programme of eradication of illiteracy.
Assistance to Voluntary Organisations Working in the Field of
Adult Education The scheme was revised last year by a Working Group providing for liberalised terms and conditions of assistance to voluntary organisations working in the field of Adult Education for taking up meaningful projects in the field of adult education and adult literacy. The scheme has been given wide publicity through the State Governments, Union Territory Administrations, Voluntary Organisations, etc. Up to December 1971, 11 individual projects for a total grant of Rs. 8 lakhs were approved out of which grants amounting to Rs. 3.25 lakhs have been released as first instalment. In addition to this, 31 individual projects for grants amounting to Rs. 45 lakhs are under consideration.
Workers' Social Education Institutes The multifaceted activities of the Institutes at Indore and Nagpur in the various fields of adult education, civic education, vocational education, etc. were continued during the year. During the period under report, a 5-member expert group was set up to formulate concrete proposals for the expansion of the activities and programmes of these Institutes. The group has submitted its report which will be considered in the next meeting of the National Board of Adult Education.
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Directorate of Adult Education The Directorate of Adult Education was set up as a Subordinate Office of the Ministry of Education and Social Welfare with effect from the 1st March, 1971, after taking the Department of Adult Education out of the National Council of Educational Research and Training. The Directorate acts as the technical and academic wing of the Ministry of Education and Social Welfare, as far as Adult Education and Adult Literacy programmes are concerned, and helps in the formulation and implementation of the programmes and takes up any other work as assigned to it by the Ministry Education and Social Welfare, from time to time.
Literature for Neo-Literate Adults-NationaI Writers' Workshop The National Writers' Workshop was organised by the Directorate of Adult Education in April, 1971, in New Delhi to review the current status of the literature available for neo-literates and suggest a new strategy for the production of adequate literature for meeting the needs of adults made functionally literate under the literacy programmes with both a mass approach and a selective approach. As follows up action to one of the important recommendations of the work- shop, the Directorate of Adult Education is currently engaged in the preparation of suitable problem-oriented reading materials for use in the Farmers Functional Literacy Programme.
Literature for Neo-Literates-Prize Competition Books for Neo-
literates During the year, the XVI Prize Competition of Books for Neo- literates was organised. About 40 prizes of Rs. 1,000 each will be awarded to authors of printed books and manuscripts in 14 Indian languages. The results of the Competition are expected to be announced by the end of 1971-72.
Polyvalent Adult Education Centres In 1965, UNESCO gave assistance to the Department of Adult Education (NCERT) to establish a Central Adult
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Education Organisation under whose auspices, a network of Polyvalent Adult Education Centres were to be established. The first Polyvalent Adult Education Centre was established in Bombay in 1967 by the Bombay City Social Education Committee under grant-in-aid from the National Council of Educational Research and Training. An evaluative study of the Polyvalent Centres, Bombay, made by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences pointed out that the Polyvalent Adult Education programme was meeting a genuine need and it was worthwhile extending the idea to other areas. After, the reconversion of the Department of Adult Education (NCERT) as the Directorate of Adult Education in the Minis- try of Education, a fresh agreement has been executed between the Ministry of Education and Social Welfare and Bombay City Social Education Committee to run the Polyvalent Adult Education Centre, Bombay. The Director of the Directorate of Adult Education represents the Ministry of Education and Social Welfare on the Managing Committee of the Polyvalent Adult Education Centre, Bombay. During the period under report, the Polyvalent Adult Education Centre, Bombay, organised the following courses among others:
(1) Courses in mechanical draftsmanship attended by turners, fitters, millers; etc.
(2) Course in supervisory skills for junior engineers.
(3) Course in metrology and quality control attended by shopfloor inspectors, laboratory assistants, quality control inspectors.
(4) Course in boiler attending, attended by firemen, boiler attendants.
(5) Course in maintenance of chemical plant attended by turners and fitters.
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Asian Regional Seminar on Polyvalent Adult Education Centre To share the experience of operating the Polyvalent Adult Education Centre and to discuss the project in greater detail, the Ministry of Education and Social Welfare
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in collaboration with Unesco organised an Adult Regional Seminar on Polyvalent Adult Education Centres from September 20 to 27, 1971. The Directorate of Adult Education undertook the responsibility for preparing the draft agenda papers and helped the Ministry in organising the Seminar. The main recommendations of the Seminar have been brought out in the draft final report of the Seminar.
Financial Allocations The financial allocations for the various schemes described in this chapter during 1971-72 and 1972-73 are as follows:
(Rs. in 000's)
Serial Provision for Budget
No. Item 1971-72 Estimates
1972-73
Original Revised
1 2 3 4 5
1 Directorate of Adult Education .. 4,61 6,12
2 Grant to Polyvalent Adult Educa-
tion Centres 2,00 2,00 2,00
3 Production of Literature for Neo-
literates 3,50 2,00 2,00
4 Farmers' Functional Literacy
Project 40,00 35.00 50,00
5 Workers' Social Education
Institute, Indore 62 62 62
6 Workers' Social Education
Institute, Nagpur 1,00 40 1,00
7 National Board of Adult
Education 15 15 15
8 Voluntary Organisations Working
in the field of Adult Education 25,00 10,00 15,00
9 Pilot Projects for eradication of
illiteracy in selected districts 25,00*
* This is subject to the concurrence of the Ministry of Finance.