ADULT EDUCATION
National Literacy Mission 8.1.1 Literacy is an indispensable part of Human Resource Development. In this age of global communication, literacy gathers increasing importance not only as a tool of learning and communication but as a tool for acquisition of knowledge. Literacy is imperative for the growth of the individual and that of the Nation. The National Literacy Mission which was set up in 1988 with the goal of making 80 million persons literate by 1995 has adopted the Total Literacy Campaign as the dominant strategy for achieving its literacy goals. The Indian experience in literacy has been so rich and varied that it has evoked international interest and many countries have tried to share the experience. At the National level the aim has been to consolidate the gains of literacy and to make further inroads in the four important Hindi-speaking states where the bulk of the illiterate population resides.
8.1.2 During the year, new vistas have also been explored in the realm of continuing education and life-long learning. The Mission which was set up with the objective of imparting functional literacy to 80 million non-literates in the age group 15-35 by the year 1995 has now been extended to cover 100 million non-literates by 1997 i.e. by the end of the 8th Plan period. Children in the age group 9-14 years are also included where there are no NFE centres. The Total Literacy Campaign has been extended to 394 districts in the country of which 162 have entered the Post Literacy phase. An estimated 81 million learners have been enrolled in the programme and 49.89 million persons are reported to have been made literate.
8.1.3 A number of programmes were taken up under NLM this year, which include
(i) The Rashtriya Saksharta Sammelan was held on 20th August, 1995 in New Delhi to commemorate the 51st birth anniversary of Late Shri Rajiv Gandhi, former Prime Minister of India. Cultural troupes from 20 States and UTs performed during the function. It was followed by a spectacular Mashal (Torch light) Procession led by the then Minister of Human Resource Development.
(ii) The SAARC media seminar was organised by the Directorate of Adult Education under the National Literacy Mission from 5th to 7th September, 1995 in New Delhi. Delegates from SAARC countries i.e. Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India participated in the seminar. It focussed on the designing, print and media materials for neoliterates; portrayal of women and the poor in Adult Education material; use of media for social mobilisation in adult education; and electronic media, technology and utilisation.
(iii) The International Literacy Day was celebrated on 8th September, 1995 all over the country. A book entitled 'Excellence in Literacy' was released on this occasion.
(iv) To review the working of the State Resource Centres and to revitalise them, a 2-day Conference of Directors of State Resource Centres/Directors of Education was organised in Delhi on 18-19 October, 1995 under the auspices of the National Literacy Mission.
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(v) A major initiative for literacy was the Conference of Six States on Literacy which was held on 16th November, 1995 to review the progress and performance of the Total Literacy Campaigns and Post Literacy Campaigns. The States that participated were Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. The focus of the Conference was mainly on : Time bound action plan for TLC coverage of uncovered districts; increased motivation to volunteers through letters of encouragement and appreciation; preference at the time of recruitment under Government schemes; Establishment of strong linkages between literacy campaigns and Panchayati Raj Institutions and involvement of Panchayati Raj functionaries in the literacy movement; establishment of strong linkages between the literacy programme and other development programmes, Jawahar Rozgar Yojna, DWCRA, etc.; Decentralisation and delegation of authority for implementation of literacy programmes to State Governments by establishment of State Literacy Mission Authorities; and strengthening of Directorates of Adult Education to act as nodal agencies for monitoring of the programme.
Special Projects for Eradication of Illiteracy 8.2.1 The Total Literacy Campaign (TLC) has now been accepted as the principal strategy of the National Literacy Mission Authority which has the objective of making 100 million citizens functionally literate in the preferred age-group of 9-35 by the end of the Eighth Five-Year Plan.
8.2.2 The TLC is marked by certain characteristics. It is area- specific, time-bound, delivered through voluntarism, cost-effective and outcome-oriented. The campaigns are implemented by Zilla Saksharta Samities (ZSS) specially constituted under the chairmanship of District Collectors. The ZSS, with its membership drawn from all sections of the society, ensures its participative nature. Besides the task-specific subcommittees 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.
8.2.3 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 are developed through the State Resource Centres in accordance with the pedagogic technique of Improved Pace and Content of Learning. Primer- specific training is provided to the Resource Persons, Master Trainers and Volunteer Instructors. 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. Post Literacy Campaigns (PLC) are launched to mop up the left-over illiterates and to consolidate the gains of literacy acquired during TLC to enable the neo-literates to develop abilities for self- learning.
8.2.4 The literacy campaigns are implemented through direct funding to the ZSS by the Central and State Governments in the ratio of 2:1 (for normal districts) and 4:1 (for districts under Tribal-Sub Plan areas). Besides the funding arrangement, the active
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involvement of State Governments is also ensured through the identification of the District Collector with the ZSS. The enlarged role of the collectors has ensured their active leadership for the TLC. The TLCs, by and large, have enlisted the enthusiastic participation of all sections of the society, especially the women, the weaker sections, etc.
8.2.5 Implementation of TLCs in various parts of the country has evoked an enthusiastic response from the weaker sections of the society, especially the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Experience has also shown that more than 60% of the learners attending classes are women.
8.2.6 During the year 1995-96 against a target of 40 TLCs and 100 PLCs, 66 districts under TLCs and 31 under PLCs have so far been covered. The districts covered under PLCs are less than expected due to slow progress of TLCs particularly in the Hindi-speaking areas.
8.2.7 The focus of the Total Literacy Campaigns has now shifted to the Hindi speaking areas where bulk of the illiterate population resides. So far 159 districts under TLC and 30 districts under PLC have been sanctioned in the four major Hindi-speaking States of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
8.2.8 In order to give necessary fillip to the activities of the campaigns, where the TLCs are unable to take off, sensitization workshops for District Collectors have been held in Meghalaya, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Shramik Vidyapeeths 8.3.0 The Shramik Vidyapeeths represent an institutional framework for offering nonformal, adult and continuing educational and polyvalent training programme to industrial workers. Shramik Vidyapeeths are working under the auspices of State Governments/Universities/Voluntary Agencies. During 1995-96, 53 Shramik Vidyapeeths are in operation. 44 Shramik Vidyapeeths are in voluntary sector while remaining 9 are under State Government/Central Government. As approved by the Expenditure Finance Committee, 16 new Shramik Vidyapeeths have been sanctioned so far for the years 1993-94, 94-95 and 95-96.
Rural Functional Literacy Project 8.4.1 The Scheme of Rural Functional Literacy Projects (RFLP) is one of the oldest schemes. It is a centre-based programme. On the basis of the findings and recommendations of evaluation studies and internal assessment, the scheme of RFLP was reorganised and several structural changes were made. Following the success of Total Literacy Campaigns, the centre-based programme has been closed down in almost all the States/UTs w.e.f. April, 1991. The Expenditure Finance Committee, however, recommended the implementation of the revamped RFLP scheme from 1994-95 in Jammu and Kashmir, North Eastern States, border districts of Rajasthan and other difficult terrain, hilly areas and isolated pockets.
8.4.2 During 1994-95, 142 projects were sanctioned to the States of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Meghalaya. Projects were also sanctioned to Rajasthan to be implemented in Barmer, Bikaner and Jaisalmer and Ganganagar but the State Government has decided to implement TLC in preference to RFLP in these five border districts also.
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Strengthening of Administrative Structure in the States/UTs 8.5.0 This is a centrally sponsored scheme for strengthening of administrative structure in the States/UTs introduced in 1978-79. The central grant is meant to cover expenditure on the emoluments of the sanctioned posts. Expenditure on other items like POL, reimbursement of medical expenses, office expenses, travel expenses etc. is borne by the respective States/UTs. The scheme has been extended to 24 States/UTs.
Scheme of Post Literacy & Continuing Education 8.6.1 The National Literacy Mission (NLM), besides emphasizing on other aspects of the programme, lays special emphasis on Post-Literacy and Continuing Education for the neo-literates so that they could be prevented from relapsing into illiteracy. Keeping this in view, the Scheme of Post Literacy and Continuing Education was launched in March, 1988 to institutionalise PL & CE through establishment of Jan Shikshan, Nilayams (JSNs) all over the country in a phased manner. The basic objectives of the scheme is to provide opportunities of continuing education to neo-literates to facilitate retention of their literacy skills, enable the learners to continue their learning beyond elementary literacy and to create scope for application of their learning skills for improvement of their living conditions. The scheme has been revised based on the findings and recommendations made in the evaluation study as well as keeping in view the shift from centre-based approach to mass campaign approach. The basic objectives of the Scheme of Continuing Education as now proposed to he implemented, include the following:-
(i) Provision of facilities for retention of literacy skills and continuing education to enable the learners to continue their learning beyond basic literacy.
(ii) Creating scope for application of functional literacy for improvement of living conditions and quality of life.
(iii) Dissemination of information on development programmes and widening and improving participation of traditionally deprived sections of the society.
(iv) Creation of awareness about national concerns such as national integration, conservation and improvement of the environment, women's equality, observance of small family norms etc. and sharing of common problems of the community.
(v) Improvement of economic conditions and general well- being by organising short duration training programmes, orientation courses for providing vocational skills and by taking up linkage activities for establishing direct linkage between continuing education and developmental activities.
(vi) Provision of facilities for library and reading rooms for creating an environment conducive to literacy efforts and a learning society.
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8.6.2 Some of the important features of the Scheme are as under:-
- The new scheme will be implemented through Zilla Saksharata Samiti (ZSS) who could be expected to formulate a project proposal for taking up CE programme in the district on conclusion of Post Literacy Campaign.
- Establishment of Continuing Education Centres (CECs) will be the principal mode of implementation of CE programmes. CECs to be set up in clusters of 8 to 10 with one of them being designated as 'Nodal CEC'.
Central Scheme of Assistance to Voluntary Agencies in Adult
Education 8.7.1 The Central Scheme of Assistance to Voluntary Agencies in Adult Education came into operation under the National Literacy Mission (NLM) in 1987-88. Under this Scheme VAs are provided financial assistance for imparting literacy to adult illiterates In the age group of 15-35, establishment and running of Jana Shikshan Nilayams (JSNs), publication of books/periodicals, provision of academic and technical resource support, organisation of workshops, seminars, conferences etc.
8.7.2 Under the revised Scheme as now in operation VAs are funded on 100% basis with a provisio that in field projects, the administrative Cost will be restricted to only 9% of the total cost of the project. The funding pattern of the State Resource Centres has also been enhanced and the SRCs have been divided into three categories "A", "B" & "C". TLC/PLC projects are being sanctioned to VAs only in areas where TLC/PLC has not been launched by the Zilla Saksharta Samitis. JSNs are also being funded only in areas where TLC/PLC has not been launched by ZSS.
8.7.3 158 TLC projects have so far been sanctioned to 148 VAs for making a total of about 23 lakh persons literate. 39 VAs have been sanctioned 63 PLC projects to cover the neo-literates of the TLC projects. Seven Districts Resource Units (DRUs), which have been providing techno-pedagogic resource support to the AE programme have also remained in operation. A project has been approved to Sevagram Vikas Sanstha, Delhi for continuation of publication of "Sabla" a magazine for women neo-literates.
8.7.4 24 State Resource Centres are functioning in the various states at present and providing techno-pedagogic resource support to the voluntary agencies/ZSSs working in the states. This includes 5 new SRCs sanctioned during the previous financial year in the states of Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Assam.
Directorate of Adult Education 8.8.1 The Directorate of Adult Education (DAE), a subordinate office of the Department of Education, continued to function as the National Resource Centre in the field of Adult Education and Total Literacy Campaigns. The Directorate has 8 units with identified professional and administrative functions. The main activities included in the Action Plan of the Directorate during the year were as under:
Preparation of Materials and Surveillance 8.8.2 The Directorate organised 12 monthly meetings of the IPCL (Improved Pace and Content of Learning) Advisory committee for review of the teaching learning
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materials, developed by the SRCs TLC Districts. Guidelines were laid down for preparation of materials for basic literacy and post literacy programmes and organised training programmes of orientation of the field functionaries in the art of designing and handling the IPCL materials.
8.8.3 Writer's workshops were organised at Guwahati, Jammu, Itanagar, Imphal and Shillong for orientation of writers in the techniques of IPCL. Sample materials in Assamese, English, Dogri, Urdu, Kashmiri and other languages particularly in tribal languages were also developed in these workshops.
8.8.4 A national level workshop was orgnaised at Mysore in collaboration with the CIIL, Mysore to workout a transfer model for transfer of spoken languages to standard State languages in IPCL primers so that learners may not remain cut off from the main stream.
8.8.5 For post literacy and continuing education, two Workshops were organised first at Gandhi Peace Foundation, New Delhi & Gujarat Vidhyapeeth, Ahmedabad for designing simple self learning materials for neo-literates on Gandhian thoughts/practices on the occasion of 125th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Out of the sixteen manuscripts developed in these workshops, 4 booklets and 4 posters were published on October 2, 1995 and rest are in process of printing.
Training 8.8.6 The following training programmes/workshops were organised during the year.
i) Workshop for State Resource Centre/Regional Resource Centres in Methodologies for Evaluation of literacy campaigns during 23-25 July 1995 at Chandigarh.
ii) SAARC Seminar on the 'Role of Media Communication for Literacy, Post Literacy and Continuing Education' from 5-7 September 95 at New Delhi, in which delegates from Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Srilanka and India participated.
iii) Two orientation programmes for the Trainers' of District Resource Units were organised for faculty in collaboration with ISTM, New Delhi and Gujarat Vidhyapeeth, Ahmedabad, SRC, Mysore and Shanti Sadhna Ashram, Guwahati.
iv) A Workshop on developing methodology for evaluation of Post Literacy/Continuing Education Campaigns from 10-13 October, 95 at Indore SRC, in which participants were from universities and evaluation agencies.
v) Training of trainers programme for the personnel of SRC conducted at Delhi in collaboration with Indian Social Institute, New Delhi.