ADULT EDUCATION
 

THE PRESENT SITUATION

1. Spread of literacy has been an important programme since independence. Between 1951 and 1981 the percentage of literacy improved from 16.67 per cent to 36.27 per cent. However, in absolute numbers illiterate persons have increased during this period from 300 million to 437 million. Women comprise 57 per cent of the illiterate population and the situation among SC/ST is particularly bad. Adult literacy received special attention during the last ten years administrative and technical resource structures have been established and voluntary agencies involved in large numbers. However, the situation is characterised by low levels of literacy among persons treated as literate, widespread disuse of literary skills, often resulting in relapse. to illiteracy, scanty opportunities for continuing education and access to information. Science, technology and modern research have not been applied to literacy programmes and the youth, workers and the masses have remained uninvolved in it.

THE POLICY, TARGETS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR STRATEGY

2. NPE envisages that adult education would be a means for reducing economic, social and gender disparities. The principal aim of the new National Programme of Adult Education (NPAE) is to provide education including literacy, to the population in 15-35 age-group, which numbers about 100 million. Previous experience have brought out that programmes of literacy can become meaningful only when they come along with a package comprising practical information and skills relevant to day-to-day needs of learners. NPAE would, therefore, inter alia, lay emphasis on skill development, and creation of awareness among the learners of the national goals, of development programmes, and for liberation from oppression. NPAE would be a phased time-bound programme, covering approximately 40 million by 1990 and another 60 million by 1995.

3. The main features of the implementation strategy will consist of the following:

(a) Reorganisation of the existing programmes, to introduce flexibility and other measures for greater effectiveness.

(b) Application of science & technology, and pedagogical research for improving the pace and environment of learning.

(c) Establishing linkage between adult education and the developmental programmes.

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(d) Launching of mass functional literacy programme.

(e) A multi-dimensional programme of continuing education as the instrument for moving towards a learning society.

(f) Creation of dynamic management structures to cope with the "targets envisaged.

(g) A distinct slant in favour of women's equality, and taking of all measures in pursuance of this resolve.

CREATION OF ENVIRONMENT - A PRE-REQUISITE FOR ERADICATION OF ILLITERACY

4. The past programmes had suffered due to excessive dependence on administrative structures, and lack of involvement of the mass organisations, media and the education institutions. It is proposed to correct the imbalance by taking the following measures:

(a) Active cooperation will be sought from political parties' and the mass organisations of workers, peasants, women, youth and students.

(b) Effective support will be provided through the mass media.

(c) All development departments will be expected to utilise the adult education programme for the furtherance of their objectives.

(d) The entire educational system will commit itself to this cause.

(e) The district, tehsil and thana level administrative machinery will be involved in NPAE to ensure their support for awareness-oriented adult education programmes.

REORGANISATION OF THE EXISTING PROGRAMMES

5. The main programme at present is the Rural Functional Literacy Projects (RFLP). In terms of the financial pattern and programme parameters, RFLP has influenced the State Adult Education Programmes (SAEP) as well as the programme of assistance to voluntary agencies. RFLP and SAEPs will be strengthened by (i) introduction of flexibility in the project structure; (ii) greater use of spoken language of the learners (including the languages spoken by the tribal people); (iii) emphasis on training of functionaries; (iv) decentralisation of the supervisory system; (V) increase in the number of women instructors, even by adjusting the minimum qualifications and making arrangements for their continuing education; (vi) continuity regarding duration of the projects; (vii) application of science and technology for improvement in the environment of the learning centres, greater use of educational technology and research in pedagogy of literacy

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instructions; and (viii) a direct and continuing linkage between initial literacy instruction and post-literacy and continuing education.

6. The involvement of voluntary agencies and social activist groups will be enhanced by creating a relationship of partnership improving the system of initial selection, assurance regarding continuity, simplification of procedures and ensuring that such agencies are able to take up programmes of their choice provided that they are in conformity with the NPE objectives.

7. The existing programmes of workers education would be reviewed and brought in conformity with the Policy directives. The Shramik Vidyapeeths will pay greater attention to rural workers, women workers, child labour and to increase in workers' productivity. The Central Board of Workers Education will take up effective programmes of literacy and workers education. There will be much greater involvement of trade unions, and they will be encouraged to take up larger programmes.

ADULT EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES

8. Adult education is both a process through which effective delivery mechanisms are created for the deprived sections of society, and a forum through which such sections secure information and understanding regarding the processes of development. Hence it is of importance that effective linkage is established between adult education and development programmes. Some of the ways in which this will be done are as follows:

(a) Special literacy primers and other reading material will be developed for the beneficiaries of IRDP and NREP to enable them to understand their rights and responsibilities.

(b) Efficacy of ICDS has suffered due to discontinuance of the component of functional literacy of adult women. This programme will be restarted in the form of Functional Literacy of Women (FLOW) which would be an integrated part of ICDS.

(c) The various programmes for development of SC/ST and other educationally backward sections will include a component of literacy and adult education wherever possible.

(d) Programmes of labour welfare will give special attention to literacy and adult education. Employers will be required, if necessary by law, to organise literacy and skill development programmes for all their employees. Welfare Funds for various categories of workers will be used for running literacy and adult education programmes and due attention given in the various schemes for unorganised workers.

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(e) Literacy and adult education will also form an important part of the various programmes of women's development.

(f) Starting with 50 NYKs in 1986-87, all Nehru Yuva Kendras will take up in their district one project of 100 functional literacy centres in one block each.

MASS FUNCTIONAL LITERACY PROGRAMME

9. NPE places complete faith in country's youth, teachers and workers and peasants. In conformity with that spirit, it is intended to give a marked slant to NPAE from the present intensive selective activity on a limited scale to a mass programme. Its main features would be as follows:-

(a) Literacy work would be taken up by a large number of students as "study service" viz., specific projects taken up as a part of work experience and social/national service, which would be reflected in the students' final result sheets.

(b) Substantial institutional incentive will be provided to universities, colleges, higher secondary/secondary schools for eradication of illiteracy in a well-defined area.

(c) Trade unions, Panchayati Raj agencies and other representative organisations of people will be encouraged to voluntarily take up functional literacy programme for which literacy kits and some organisational expenses would be provided to them.

(d) Encouraging individuals to look upon literacy work as a personal commitment and voluntary service, particularly by women among women, and involvement of voluntary agencies for this purpose.

CONTINUING EDUCATION

10. Continuing education is an indispensable aspect of the strategy of human resource development and of the goal of creation of a learning society. Continuing education includes post-literacy for neo-literates and school drop-outs for retention of literacy skills, continuation of learning beyond elementary literacy, and application of this learning for improving their living conditions. But continuing education goes beyond post-literacy and its instrumentalities include the following:

(1) Establishment of Jana Shikshan Nilayams (JSN) for clusters of villages, the total population of which may be about 5000. JSNs to be integrated with the programmes of adult education and non-formal education, will be housed in the school building, Panchayat Ghar etc. and provide facilities of library, reading room, Charcha Mandal, cultural activities And may also include a community TV set.

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(2) Employers, trade-unions and the concerned agencies of Government will organise systematic programmes of workers' education for improving their educational standards and upgradation of their skills with a view to improving productivity, workers' wages and their well- being.

(3) All post-secondary education institutions - including universities, colleges and polytechnics will be expected to give to extension work the same importance as they do to instruction. Extension programmes would include mass education as well as systematic courses of continuing education for the work force and the professionals. Distance learning techniques will be widely used for this purpose.

(4) Programmes of book promotion will be taken up on the lines indicated in the Policy. Libraries and reading rooms in educational institutions will be opened to the public in the evenings and necessary additional grants provided to them for this purpose. Voluntary efforts for establishment of reading rooms and libraries will be encouraged.

(5) As spelt out in the section of Media and Education Technology, radio, TV and films will be encouraged to subserve the objectives of education and recreation.

(6) Non-formal programmes of vocational and technical education, based on the needs and interests of learners, will be organised on a large scale, ensuring that women participate in such programmes with men. The existing arrangements provided under schemes such as TRYSEM, Krishi Vigyan Kendras, Farmers' Training Centres, etc., would be supplemented by part-time courses organised by educational and technical institutions.

TECHNICAL RESOURCE SYSTEM

11. The technical and pedagogic resource support for NPAE will have to be greatly strengthened. The emphasis would be on decentralisation and employment of educational technology for quality improvement. The following specific measures will be taken:

(a) Greatest attention would be paid to preparation of good learning materials, teachers' guides, and to training. For this, as well as for production of learning materials for post-literacy and continuing education latest technologies of printing and communication will be employed. The national level organisation for this purpose will be reviewed and suitably reorganised.

(b) The work of each State Resource Centre will be reviewed. Those not functioning satisfactorily will be improved, and if necessary, shifted under the auspices of some other

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organisation. Much more provision will be made for improvement of infrastructure and staff in SRCs-

(c) District Resource Units (DRU) for adult education and nonformal education will form an integral part of DIETs. In cooperation with other staff of DIET, as well as other resource persons available in the district, the DRUs will take responsibility for initial and continuing education of the field level functionaries. They will also design and oversee the methods employed in evaluation of learners.

TECHNOLOGY MISSION OF ERADICATION OF ILLITERACY

12. Eradication of Illiteracy will be launched as a Technical and Societal Mission. Such a Mission approach presupposes that we are at the threshold of momentous scientific, technological and pedagogic changes, which may, besides augmenting the range of the communication system, make the process of acquiring literacy quicker and easier. In pursuance of the Mission, effort will be made to (i) improve the physical environment, power supply and the illumination etc. of the Adult Education Centres; (ii) facilitate and expedite preparation, printing, distribution of topical and relevant learning materials and learning aids on a decentralised basis; (iii) enrich the process of learning with audio-visual materials by enlarging the range of Television and Radio broadcasts and also by developing cheaper and sturdier equipment; (iv) reduce the time-lag between pedagogic research and the assimilation of its results in the teaching-learning processes; and (v) create, inter-active environment between the electronic teaching devices and the learners.

MANAGEMENT OF NPAE

13. The objectives of the management system of NPAE is to ensure effective delivery of the learning inputs to the intended beneficiaries of the programme in the most effective manner, in accordance with the strategies spelt out at paragraph 2 and thereafter. For this purpose the main considerations in determining the management system will be (i) the guiding considerations for planning and management spelt out in NPE; (ii) need for the centralised policy framework and direction with decentralisation of the planning and implementation process and functional autonomy; (iii) establishment of effective linkage between development agencies and NPAE; (iv) securing the commitment of political parties, mass organisations, educational institutions, voluntary agencies, etc.; (v) delineation of responsibility to enforce operational accountability; and (vi) ensuring the effective participation of functionaries of NPAE, the intended beneficiaries and the community in planning and day-today implementation of the programme at the grassroots level.

14. Project approach: The critical level in the management of NPAE is the project level. A project may be defined as the administratively viable and functionally autonomous field agency

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with complete responsibility for eradication of illiteracy and the organisation of continuing education programmes in a compact area. The project will function on the advice of a committee in which representatives of the functionaries, local community, people's organisations and officials of the concerned development departments would be represented. The management functions at the project level would comprise (i) planning of the programme; (ii) selection and training of supervisors and instructors; (iii) ensuring coordination and cooperation with the various developmental agencies and mass organisations; (iv) provision of supplies and materials; (v) ensuring that the programme is run in accordance with the overall objectives; and (vi) effective evaluation and monitoring.

15. The operational unit of adult education would continue to be the Adult Education Centre (AEC) organised at the village or mohalla level. The AEC Organiser is envisaged as an activist worker who would run the AEC for organisation of programme as spelt out in paragraph 2. A cluster of 8 to 10 AECs will be overseen by a supervisor who will be selected from the local area, preferably an experienced and successful AEC Organiser. The functions of a superviser will include organisation of post-literacy and continuing education activities through a Jana Shikshan Nilayam.

16. All existing Adult Education Projects will be reviewed and reorganised. The basic features and financial norms of all projects, whether funded by the Central Government or the State Government, and run through a governmental agency or a voluntary agency, would be similar, permitting within a range, flexibility and variation to increase effectiveness and to promote innovation.

17. Planning at the district level: Detailed planning at the district level for illiteracy eradication would be the responsibility of the District Boards of Education (DBE). Technical assistance would be provided to DBE by the District Resource Units referred to at paragraph 11. DEB will undertake: