ADULT AND CONTINUING EDUCATION
 

NPE/POA Stipulations

7.1.0 The perspective on adult education has been spelt out in the NPE in paras 4.10 to 4.13 and Chapter VII of the Programme of Action- 1986. Apart, from facilitating creation of ability to read and write the policy links adult education with national goals such as poverty alleviation, national integration, environment conservation, energisation of the cultural creativity of the people, observance of small family norm and promotion of women's equality. Adult Education has also been spelt out as a responsibility of the whole nation all sections of the society involving teachers, students, youth, employees, voluntary agencies, etc., apart from Central and State Governments and political parties and their mass organisations. Functional literacy has been considered as another important concern of adult education. A massive programme of adult and continuing education was envisaged for implementation through various modalities.

Committee's perspective

7.2.1 The Resolution setting up the Committee to review NPE, inter alia, states:

"Despite efforts at social and economic development since attainment of Independence a majority of our people continue to remain deprived of education, which is one of the basic needs for human development. It is also a matter of grave concern that our people comprise 50 per cent of the world's illiterate, and large sections of children have to go without acceptable level of primary education. Government accords the highest priority to education both as a human right and as the means for bringing about a transformation towards a more humane and enlightened society. There is need to make education an effective instrument for securing a status of equality for women, and persons belonging to the backward classes and minorities. Moreover, it is essential to give a work and employment orientation to education....... ".

7.2.2 The perspective of the Committee as regards Adult Education' cannot be presented more effectively than by the following extract of the Perspective Paper on education released by the Committee in September, 1990.

"The content and process of adult education, as distinct from adult literacy, is to be reorganised. The questions of survival, development and justice are to be interwoven into content, pedagogy and learning situation of adult, letting literacy come in

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organically in the process when, and if, it becomes the felt need of the adult learners. This understanding would help in avoiding the dispropotionate emphasis on literacy campaigns. A major objective of these campaigns should be to enthuse the adult illiterates to send their children for school education. Other objectives may include education for democracy and Panchayati Raj and for eschewing violence, casteism, communalism, gender, bias and all other forms of discribination.....

Post Policy Implementation

7.3.0 In pursuance of the Policy, a National Literacy Mission was established in 1988. In quantitative terms, the Mission seeks to impart functional literacy to 80 million illiterate persons in 15-35 age-group; 30 million by 1990 and an additional 50 million by 1995. The emphasis of the Mission is not on mere numbers but on attainment of certain pre-determined norms and parameters of literacy, numeracy, functionality and awareness. Under this Programme 2,84,000 Centres are functioning in the country with an estimated involvement of 84 lakh adult learners (about 35 lakh men and 49 lakh women). Six lakh literacy kits have been delivered to students, volunteers. Over 30,000 Jan Shikshan Nilayams have been sanctioned to provide Post- Literacy Programmes. Over 300 Voluntary Agencies have also been involved in the process. A Mass Campaign under NLM was launched by the then Prime Minister in May, 1988. Similar campaigns were launched by 24 States and UTs on the same date and after. The Director General, NLM in his presentation before the NPERC stated that the Programme had suffered due to shortage of funds. As against the barest minimum requirement of funds amounting to Rs. 139 crores during 1989-90, the actual amount provided was of the order of Rs.76.17 crores. The position was somewhat improved in 1990-91 when a sum of Rs. 96 crores was provided, considering the magnitude of the problem of illiteracy the large uncovered area and the need for mobilisation (A total of Rs.227 crores was spent under NLM during the years 1987-88 to 1989-90). Much more funds are required even for implementing a purely volunteer-based, campaign-oriented plan of action than what has been provided. the DG, NLM further informed the Committee

- In conformity with the area-specific and time-specific approach for complete eradication of illiteracy, plans have been drawn up/implemented for complete eradication of illiteracy as shown below:

* Kottayam city Kerala made fully literate in 100 days (April-June, 1989).

* Eranakulam district, Kerala made fully literate in one year (January December, 1989).

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* Projects for total literacy have been launched in Kerala, Goa and Pondicherry.

* Saksharatha Abhiyan was launched by Gujarat Vidyapeeth on 1st May 88 with the involment of over 400 voluntary agencies and 1.5 lakh volunteers to make 35.00 lakh illiterates literate by 1991. Two hundered villages out of 1000 covered are reported to have been made literate as a result of this Abhiyan.

* A mass campaign for complete eradication of illiteracy was launched in Karnataka to make 4 lakh illiterates literate by 1990-91. The evaluation of the outcome of mass compaigns has shown that out of 4 lakh illiterate adults, 70,000 become fully literate and 1.30 lakhs partially literate at the close of 1989-90. Bijapur and South Kanara districts in Karnataka have been taken up for total literacy by 1991.

* A scheme for whole village literacy was adopted in 1986-87 in Rajasthan according to which one village in every district was to be made literate every year. Against a target of 60 villages to be made fully literate by 1989-90, 20 villages have been made fully literate. A project of Education for All by 2000 AD is being taken up with SIDA assistance and will be launched soon.

* Twenty CD blocks in West Bengal have been taken up for total literacy from 8th September 1989 (to be completed in one year). The plan is being implemented by the panchayats while the funding has been shared between Central and State Governments 50:50.

* Seventy CD Blocks in Orissa have been taken up for full literacy by 1991.

* Nine Mahanagars and 8 hill districts in UP are being taken up for full literacy in 1990-91.

* The Bihar Education Project encompassing UEE, NFE and AE for total literacy with UNICEF assistance is being launched shortly.

* The Bhagavatula Charitable Trust, Yellamanchill, (Andhra Pradesh) has launched a project known as 'India Literacy Project' for total literacy in Visakhapatnam district with a coverage of one million illiterates. This project is proposed to be jointly funded by the Government of India, Non-Resident Indians and foreign donor agencies. Mandal motivators who will be full time workers in the project, are the kingpin in the programme.

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A plan for total literacy has been launched in Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu. The Coimbatore Literacy Mission Society (COLIM) has been recently constituted with the District Collector as the Chairman. The Society has drawn-up an action plan for imparting functional literacy to 5.25 lakh illiterate adults in 21 Blocks and 6 corporations/ municipalities of the district. It is proposed to involve 50,000 voluntary instructors in the project which is to be implemented during April, 1990 to March 1992.

Past Experience

7.4.0 Adult education programmes have been unsuccessful in the past mainly for the following reasons

-Efforts are made to begin with adult literacy; this is most often not perceived as a felt need; the adult doesn't respond; adult education centres are attended often largely by young persons.

-Adult literacy is not placed within a wider social context. The whole gamut of the developmental needs of the adult of survival, employment, health, etc. are not addressed. There is failure to realise that illiteracy is but a form of marginalisation or exclusion of those who are unable to secure for themselves minimum standards of well-being.

-The problem has been viewed more in the context of teaching methods and of learning to read and write.

Present Scenario

7.5.0 It is a matter of serious concern that half of the World's illiterates would live in India at the turn of the century. This fact belies all our claims to progrss and development. While 53% of the male population was reported to be illiterate in the 1981 census, the level of illiteracy among the women was as high as 75%. This gender disparity in the literacy rate is another issue of national concern. The gap in the literacy levels of SCs vs non SC/ST communities and STs vs non SC/ST communities had widened further during the sixties and seventies as of 1981 census. The literacy rates among SC/ST women are appallingly low, with the ST women in Rajasthan existing at the pre- literate level of 1.2%

Programme of NLM

7.6.1 Notwithstanding the phenomenal effort put in by NLM and a number of determined voluntary agencies during the last three years, there is wide-spread cynicism regarding what has so far

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gone on under the banner of literacy programmes. The cynicism is the result of a general observation that the majority of the literacy effort, whether by the Government or the voluntary sector, has not demonstrably contributed to increasing the literacy rate. Before the formation of NLM, the Ministry had commissioned 56 research studies to reputed social science research organisations around the country. The Committee analysed 33 of these reports. By and large, the reports had shown that most of the literacy classes rapidly fizzled out due to high drop-out rate. Often there were no objective criteria for finding out the attainment level in terms of literacy at the end of the class, run normally for ten months. The Committee noted that a general practice had been (it continues in many States even today) to declare a person literate merely if did not drop-out for a period of three to four months, even if the attendance was irregular. The question of actual attainment in literacy was not considered.

7.6.2 However, in the context of the scenario presented earlier, the Committee acknowledged that it would be plainly unjust if almost 250 million people in the plus 15 years age groups are left to spend their entire productive life without literacy, a powerful tool for acquiring knowledge and enabling effective participation in democratic polity of India. Clearly like UEE, adult education with a strong literacy component has to be one of the central items on the national agenda. Therefore, the formation of the National Literacy Mission (NLM) in pursuance of NPE was a welcome development on the Indian Education scene.

NAEP to Mass Campaign

7.6.3 The Committee held detailed deliberations with the representatives of both the Ministry and NLM on the issue of methodology used in the adult literacy programme. An attempt was made to understand the reasons why the pre-NPE National Adult Education Programme (NAEP), started in 1977-78, did not make a significant difference in the rate of literacy among the adults. The Committee found that NAEP mainly relied upon what has come to be known as the 'Centre approach'. A centre is organised with one paid instructor and attends to about 30 adult learners, primarily in the 15-35 age groups. Learning materials like slates and pencils and premises were provided free of cost to each learner, besides other support materials including a lantern. The general experience was not hopeful. The attendance of the enrolled learners was irregular and the drop-out rates fairly high. A centre, after a few weeks or months, either had only a handful of learners left or most of the learners attending were children below 15 years. There were reports of a large percentage of centres closing down due to low response. Others could never get off the ground. Taking this experience into account, the NLM adopted a modified strategy which differed from NAEP. Since early 1989 the Department of Education introduced the Mass campaign strategy that is, from the time total literacy effort was taken up in Ernakulam district of Kerala

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State. Under this strategy, the entire community's support is mobilised in a given area through mobilisation programmes such as Jathas, street plays etc. Volunteers for imparting adult education as well as those who are to be given adult education are identified. The identified instructors themselves secure the avenues where adult education would be imparted. The services of the voluntary adult education instructors are secured free of cost. Voluntary agencies- are involved significantly in this strategy. This strategy also helps in the total discontinuance of the centre based approach to adult education and thus is meant to be less costly. At present the campaign method is being followed in 62 districts in the States of Kerala, Goa, Pondicherry and Gujarat. The proposal is to add 50 districts per annum to the target for coverage by campaign method.

7.6.4 The NLM officials shared their conviction with the Committee that their modified approach involving mass campaign and reliance on voluntarism has the necessary elements for overcoming the barriers faced by the previous programmes. It was stated that the campaigns were likely to generate a level of enthusiasm that would enable the illiterate adult to cross her/his threshold of resistance vis-a-vis literacy. They placed before the Committee several success or near success stories from different parts of India, though no supporting documentary material as such was provided. Indeed, the Committee has taken note of the positive response the mass campaigns have generated amongst the educated youth, reportedly primarily from the middle class for literacy work. optimistic signs of such responses have been reported from Bijapur in Karnataka, Pondicherry, Durg in M.P., Midnapore in West Bengal and some other districts in other States as well.

7.6.5 This campaign method, even according to the thinking in the Department of Education, is not capable of universal application as of now. The reasons are:

- A total shift from centre based project approach in one shot is not feasible because of the serious disruptions that it can bring about in the on-going process of adult education.

- The campaign strategy cannot be applied in all parts of India principally because of the differing levels of awareness in different States.

- There may be pockets where the number of illiterates will be small; covering those pockets to handle small groups of learners will not be cost effective.

- The campaign method cannot also be introduced universally without appropriate evaluation of the impact it makes in areas where it is being followed as of now.

7.6.6 It remains to be seen whether the enthusiasm generated

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by these early campaigns in different pockets would be eventually translated into effective literacy classes and then into literacy attainment. Whatever may be the end result, there is no denying that NLM has succeeded in placing adult literacy on the national agenda and also in generating a level of enthusiasm for literacy work among the youth at least in certain pockets.

Ernakulam experiment

7.7.0 During Committee's deliberations, the experiment of Ernakulam district in Kerala was discussed at length. The report of the District Collector shows that the bench mark level of literacy in Ernakulam before the start of the campaign last year was above 90%. In a major and well concerted drive, this level has been raised to about 98% within a matter of less than one year, thus giving Ernakulam district the status of being 100% literate the first one in India. While this is commendable, it is doubtful whether lessons could be drawn from this experiment for application elsewhere. The high literacy rate to start with in Ernakulam, a result of successful school education programme, provided favourable socio-cultural conditions which cannot be expected in most parts of India where literacy rate ranges between twenty to thirty per cent. This situation is particularly acute and distinguishable from Ernakulam in the case of the ten educationally backward States, particularly the Hindi speaking States of UP, Bihar, MP and Rajasthan. Ernakulam, for that matter entire Kerala, exemplifies how literacy is linked with development and socio-cultural factors. In our plans for eradicating illiteracy from India before the turn of the century, we may not be able to wish away the hard ground realities that have been so far responsible for alienating large masses of Indian people from the benefit of education.

Mahila Samakhya Model

7.8.0 In this context the Committee looked at an alternative model of adult education being promoted by the Ministry itself. This alternative can be seen in the design of Mahila Samakhya, a scheme of the Ministry to empower women in pursuance of NPE. The POA chapter on 'Education 'for women's Equality' states, "as majority of women in this age group (i.e. 15-35) are workers, literacy per se may not have any relevance for them" (para 14). Accordingly, the Mahila Samakhya programme primarily emphasises the issues of development and social justice such as health services, minimum wages, water etc. In contrast to NLM'S approach of starting and focussing upon literacy the Mahila Samakhya is designed to being with life-related issues and weave in processes that would motivate the participation towards a desire for literacy. In Mahila Samakhya, therefore, one would move towards literacy as and when it becomes the felt need of poor women groups as a result of raising awareness of their changing role in society.