ADULT EDUCATION
National Literacy Mission 9.1.1 Literacy is now accepted as an indispensable component of Human Resource Development. It is an essential tool of communication and learning, for acquiring and sharing of knowledge and information, a pre-condition for an individual's growth and for national development. The National Literacy Mission(NLM) which aims at imparting functional literacy to 80 million adult illiterates in the 15-35 age group by 1995 is one of the most concerted efforts attempted so far in the promotion of literacy in the country. The Mission established important milestones during this year and also achieved international recognition for the efforts which had been put in through Total Literacy Campaigns. These campaigns for total literacy are, slowly but steadly, creating a social churning, with the people getting more empowered and becoming aware of the causes of their deprivation and moving towards amelioration of the condition through organisation, and through participation in the process of development.
9.1.2 The important milestones include the UNESCO award of the prestigious King Sejong Prize to the Puduvai Arivoli Iyakkam of Pondicherry for its literacy promotion efforts. Perhaps the most significant achievement of the campaign over the last few years is that there are now an estimated 119.96 lakhs of neo-literates reaching for higher competencies which would bring about a radical transformation in their day-to- day lives. Closely related to these efforts is the report submitted by the expert group on Post Literacy and continuing Education headed by Shri Satyen Maitra. The report has been formally accepted by EC of NLMA and circulated to all State Governments/UT administrations for their consideration. Another important report was on the modalities of total literacy declaration, and evaluation of learning outcomes. This year also saw the commencement of the 8th Five Year Plan, which accords a high priority to adult education together universalisation of elementary education. It is expected that at least 75 per cent of the districts in the country would have been covered by the campaigns during this Plan period.
International Literacy Prize 9.2.1 For the third year in succession the country has been awarded the International Literacy Prize by UNESCO. This prize is awarded to those institutions/organisations which display outstanding merit and achieve effective results through the fight for literacy. The International Literacy Prize Jury had awarded the King Sejong Prize to the Puduvai Arivoli Iyakkam of Pondicherry for its meticulously planned Literacy and Post Literacy Campaigns to create awareness and an appropriate environment to enlist people's voluntarism from all sections of the society at every stage of the campaign and setting up
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of 530 Continuing Education Centres for retention and upgradation of basic literacy skills.
9.2.2 Puduvai Arivoli Iyakkam, a registered nongovernmental organisation (NGO), was specifically devoted to carrying out literacy/post literacy activities in the Union Territory of Pondicherry. This NGO launched on the International Literacy Day 1989 the total literacy campaign called Arivoli Iyakkam (the movement for light of knowledge) in the Union Territory of Pondicherry. It has succeeded in imparting functional literacy to 66907 out of 99958 adult illiterates in the age-group of 15-40 according to prescribed levels in a period of two years. They also launched a post-literacy campaign with the twin objectives of (a) preventing the 66907 neo-literates from relapsing into illiteracy by enabling them to achieve the self- reliance in learning, and (b) imparting functional literacy to such of the illiterates as could not be covered in the first phase. The prize was received by Shri A. Gandhiraj, the Education Minister of Pondicherry at a special ceremony held in Seville, (Spain) on 9th September, 1992 on the occassion of the Joint UNITED NATIONS/UNESCO HONOUR DAY. The prize carried a cash award of U.S.$ 35,000.
Total Literacy Campaign 9.3.1 The successful conclusion of the Total Literacy Campaign (TLC) in district Ernakulam (Kerala) in January 1990 has led to the acceptance of the TLC as the most important strategy of the National Literacy Mission (NLM) for eradication of illiteracy in the target age-group of 15-35. The TLC is marked by certain positive characteristics in that it is area-specific, time- bound, delivered through voluntarism, cost-effective and outcome-oriented. The TLC is implemented by Zilla Saksharata Samitis (ZSS) specially constituted under the District Collector. The ZSS, with its membership drawn from all sections of the society, ensures its participative nature. Besides, the task-specific sub-committees of the ZSS, popular committees are also constituted at all levels from the district down to the village panchayats, which are animated by the culture of equality.
9.3.2 The TLC presupposes the generation of a positive demand of the people for literacy through appropriate environment-building programmes. The initial effort at environment-building is closely followed by a door-to-door literacy survey during which potential learners and volunteers are identified. Suitable primers (in 3 parts) are developed through the State Resource Centres in accordance with the pedagogic technique of Improved Pace and Content of Learning (IPCL). Primer-specific training is provided to the Resource Persons, Master Trainers and Volunteer Instructors.
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9.3.3 Two activities, namely, environment-building as well as monitoring and internal evaluation, are continued through the teaching/learning activity which accounts for a total of 200 hours spread over a period of 6 months. An external impact/summative evaluation is made at the conclusion of the teaching (PLC) to mop up the left-over illiterates and to consolidate the gains of literacy acquired during TLC, and to enable the neo-literates to develop abilities for self-learning.
9.3.4 The TLCs/PLCs are implementing through direct funding to ZSS by the Central and State Governments in the ratio 2:1. Besides the funding arrangement, the active involvement of State Governments is ensured also through the identification of the District Collector with the ZSS. The Collectors have traditionally been responsible for law and order and over the last few years have been made responsible for welfare programmes like IRDP, NREP, JRY etc. The enlarged role of the collectors has ensured their active leadership for the TLC as well.
9.3.5 The TLCs, by and large, have enlisted the enthusiastic participation of all sections of the society, especially the women, the weaker sections, etc.
9.3.6 Following is the number of TLC/PLC projects approved so far:-
Projects No. of Projects No. of Districts covered
Total 1992-93 Total 1992-93
TLC 140 56 182 56
PLC 32 24 56 32
Dave Committee Report 9.4.1 An Expert Group headed by Dr.R.H.Dave, former Director, UNESCO Institute of Education, Hamburg was set up in January, 1992, to work out the modalities for total literacy declaration and examine issues connected with learner evaluation which could form the basis of determining the learning outcomes in the areas taken up for total literacy. The Report (accepted in July 1992) recommended that a declaration was necessary for reasons of social accountability, feedback to organisers, political support and general awareness towards education. The planners, administrators and financers would be interested in the net outcome of such a campaign. Secondly the people who participated in the TLC have to know as to how much they could contribute to different areas of human resource development and to what extent they could meet
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the expectations raised.Thirdly, the political leadership has also to be appropriately informed of the gains of TLC so that they could help in dissemination of the programme which may otherwise not receive adequate public attention. The declaration may also serve the cause of universal basic education for all.
9.4.2 The Report contains specific recommendation on what to declare and how to declare. Declaration should be more in the nature of sharing of what has been achieved against the original goals. Only a scientific evaluation and systematic investigation would give credibility to it. The attainments could therefore be presented in terms of percentage reflecting the overall performance by ranges so that a clear idea could emerge of the total number of persons who have actually reached the NLM norms, and of the learners who require further help. The Report noted that the learning environment in different TLC situations may vary. It was absolutely essential that evaluation of learning outcomes has to be uniform for all the categories and groups of persons. The term 'Total Literacy' would in this context refer to a particular age-group and level of achievement at 80% or 90% of the target. The incidental fallout of TLCs, such as the UEE, retention of children in school participation of learners in health- care programme could also be highlighted. The TLC has accelerated the growth of literacy which otherwise might have taken several years.
9.4.3 The Report elaborated on the methodology of evaluating the learning outcomes which is most crucial in assessing the performance of TLC campaign in general, and the learner in particular, in a manner which is credible, uniform, simple, non-threatening, systematic and technically sound.
Environment Building - Bharat Gyan Vigyan Jatha-II 9.5.1 An appropriate environment is most crucial for the success of any total literacy campaign. This input is an essential component of the overall strategy of the National Literacy Mission. The positive experience of Bharat Gyan Vigyan Jatha(BGVJ) of 1990 helped. Firstly, while the BGVJ had to content with major caste and communal media events, it nevertheless placed literacy as an issue before the people. The involvement of thousands of politicians, administrators, educators and media persons taken together with the demand for literacy programmes generated in the villages, brought literacy on to the political agenda of the nation. The Bharat Gyan Vigyan Jatha brought together a number of diverse voluntary organisations, peoples' science movements, individuals and groups, trade unions and service associations, youth and students and women's movements and adult educators. Their networking through the jatha made literacy work a personal and common organisational priority for thousands all over the country.
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9.5.2 The impact of the Bharat Gyan Vigyan Jatha were not uniform all over the country. It was weak especailly in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. In Orissa and Madhya Pradesh the impact was limited. The limited impact was due to the disturbances caused by the agitations and political turmoils when the Jathas were underway in October/November, 1990. Further there were few starting points or contact persons of the right quality available in these areas where the BGVS was traditionally weak. In addition, the content of the programmes, though locally devised, needed to address the same problems in a much more relevant manner. Finally the conditions in these areas are vastly different from Ernakulam and it takes time for the message to sink in,especially amongst the intelligentsia. Some of the factors are also true of areas of Gujarat, Maharashtra, parts of Assam, Himachal, Punjab, Tamil Nadu etc. and more effort was required here to sustain the environment.
9.5.3 However, despite these limitations there is tremendous enthusiasm at the village level for this programme which even the slightest environment building effort is able to tap. Illiterates do come forward to learn in large numbers in the areas where the project has been initiated as a people's movement. This paradox, on one side a strong demand for literacy and on the other side non-existent or grossly inadequate delivery mechanisms for literacy, and indifference to illiteracy as a social issue, was particularly noticed in the Northern States. It was, therefore, imperative to make another major attempt particularly in these states to build up an environment favourable to the campaign. A Bharat Gyan Vigyan-II was launched between 2nd October and 14th November, 1992 in 250 districts of which 165 districts have been covered by December, 1992 as under:
Bihar 38
Uttar Pradesh 44
Rajasthan 12
Madhya Pradesh 45
Orissa 15
Other States 11
9.5.4 The major operational objectives of the Jatha were:
a) To conduct a Kalajatha in 250 districts of the country of which about 185 districts will be in the 5 states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Orissa.
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b) To form broad-based district committees for the jatha in all the 250 districts.
c) In each district about 100 jatha reception committees were to be formed and the jatha would touch these 100 centres. Each of these centres to be chosen in such a way that it caters to at least 10 surrounding villages.
d) To orient at least 150 persons to the concept of total literacy campaigns and to train at least 30 persons to act as key resource persons in all aspects including pedagogy in each of the 250 districts.
e) To build up block level committees and hold block level conventions and to identify contact persons in villages and form wherever possible panchayat level committes.
f) To conduct a number of rallies, padayatras, wall- writings, posters and other forms of publicity for literacy in the 250 districts.
g) The Chief Minister of Bihar inaugurated the jathas at Patna.
Post Literacy & Continuing Education (PL & CE) 9.6.1 The total literacy campaigns which are efforts at mass mobilisation have led to the emergence of a large number of neo- literates. These neo-literates are a complex group with varying levels of achievement in literacy and numeracy. Adequate provision is to be made for their post literacy and continuing education to save their relapse into illiteracy.
9.6.2 The National Literacy Mission when it was launched in May 1988 had made arrangements for institutionalising post literacy and continuing education by setting up Jana Shikshan Nilayams(JSNs). Over 32,000 JSNs have been sanctioned since then, and they were attuned to the needs of the centre-based programme. With the shift from the centre-based approach to the mass campaigns approach, need was felt for a more dynamic mechanism. An Expert Group on Post Literacy & Continuing Education under the Chairmanship of Shri Satyen Maitra which was set up last year to look into this aspect. The Report of the Group was formally accepted this year and circulated to the States/UTs. The Group had recommended a programme providing for remediation, continuation and application of skills. These recommendations form the core of the strategy of post literacy campaigns. During the year, 32 PLCs have been approved covering 56 districts with a total neo-literate coverage of 132.43 lakh persons. The list of the PLC projects is given below:
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List of Post-literacy Campaigns
S.No. Project Area Coverage
(in lakhs)
Andhra Pradesh
1. Chittoor 5.50
2. Nellore 4.00
3. West Godavari 4.00
4. Nizamabad 4.00
5. Karimnagar 6.10
6. Nalgonda 1.50
7. BGVS AP (9 Mandals) 0.50
8. Visakhapatnam 3.50
Gujarat
9. Bhavnagar 1.63
10. Gandhinagar 0.70
Haryana
11. Panipat 1.10
Kerala
12. Kerala State 17.33
Karnataka
13. Dakshin Kannada 3.00
14. Bijapur 1.63
15. Mandya 2.50
16. Shimoga 3.75
17. Raichur 1.80
Maharashtra
18. Wardha 0.32
Orissa
19. Ganjam 7.00
20. Rourkela 1.00
21. Sundargarh 3.40
Pondicherry
22. Pondicherry U.T. 0.67
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Tamil Nadu
23. PMT Sivaganga 2.00
24. Pudukkottai 2.90
25. Kamrajar 1.75
26. Kanyakumari 0.90
West Bengal
27. Burdwan 10.00
28. Midnapore 19.50
29. Hooghly 6.30
30. Birbhum 4.90
31. Bankura 6.30
32. Cooch Behar 2.95