A PEOPLE'S MOVEMENT
 

Recent years have witnessed unprecedented activity on a massive scale in the sphere of adult literacy. Following the National Policy on Education (NPE) 1986 the Central Government set up the National Literacy Mission (NLM) in 1988 for eradication of illiteracy. NLM was conceptualised after a critical assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the earlier adult education programmes. The creation of a Mission for literacy represented a national political commitment on the need to harness all social forces and channelise the energies of the people towards meeting the ultimate objective of effecting a qualitative change in their own lives.

The NLM has made it possible for the country to adopt a systematically planned campaign approach. The strategy for Total Literacy Campaigns (TLCs), which envisages coverage of the entire adult population by literacy of well defined level through instruction by a volunteer teacher, is a departure from the traditional centre- based approach, which was honorarium based, centralised and largely bureaucratically managed.

The literacy wave which started from the southern and eastern states is now beginning to reach practically all parts of the country. The environment building benefits of the `campaign approach' were two fold:

* It created a favourable environment for illiterate adults to opt to learn and

* Educated men and women were induced to come forward to teach those who were illiterate - without any material reward or incentive.

Starting with Kottayam City in Kerala in 1989 and Ernakulam District in 1990, the campaign approach for eradication of illiteracy has taken firm roots and has given rise to the Total Literacy Campaign (TLC) approach. The TLC model is now accepted as the dominant strategy for eradication of adult illiteracy by almost all States/UTs. TLC is area-specific, time-bound, volunteer-based, cost-effective and is also outcome-oriented. Apart from these characteristics, which make it distinctly different from the earlier Centre based approach, the other important factor is that it envisages the joint responsibility and commitment of both the Central and the State Governments.

By the end of the Eighth Five Year Plan (1992-97), it is proposed to cover 100 million illiterate persons including all the illiterates in 15-35 age group in 345

Coverage Under NLM

TOTAL LITERACY Campaign (TLC)extended to 343 districts.

POST LITERACY Campaign (PLC) extended to 139 districts.

LITERACY CAMPAIGNS sanctioned in 26 tribal districts including Jhabua (Madhya Pradesh) which has the lowest literacy rate in the country.

TOTAL ILLITERATES identified by name include 121 million.

TOTAL ENROLMENT has crossed 74 million.

THE TOTAL number of persons made literate include 46 million.

VOLUNTEERS INVOLVED include 7.5 million.

PACE OF Campaigns accelerated and focus shifted to the low literacy and high population states in Hindi belt.

LITERACY CAMPAIGNS sanctioned in four major Hindi-speak- ing States.

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NATIONAL LITERACY MISSION TOTAL LITERACY CAMPAIGN

districts through literacy campaigns. On the basis of the Ernakulam experience, an organizational structure for a district TLC has been evolved. The structure rests on the three pillars of (i) participatory people's committees, (ii) full time functionaries and area coordinators, (iii) a support system provided by government of- ficials. It thus exemplifies an interactive and a communicative process of management and implementation.

The Total Literacy Campaigns (TLC) uses a multi-media approach to recruit learners and volunteer-teachers. Both traditional and mass media are utilized to spread the message quickly throughout the country. The jathas (troupes) play a dual role of motivation and awareness creation. Puppet shows, kala jathas (cultural troupes), which include folk artists, school teachers and volunteers cover the country informing and motivating people to learn and create an environment supportive of learning.

With the successful implementation of TLCs in several districts all over the country , a situation is fast emerging whereby millions of illiterates after acquiring basic literacy skills are joining the stream of neoliterates each year. Without a meaningful post-literacy programme, many of these persons may relapse into illiteracy. NLM is, therefore, trying to evolve and develop systematic post-literacy programmes, as part of continuing education efforts. Any literacy programme planned without a corresponding plan for post literacy and continuing education will not be fruitful unless on the completion of basic literacy, the neo-literates are encouraged and motivated to participate in the post literacy phase.

The objectives of post literacy:

* To bring into the literacy fold those who were left out earlier.

* To reinforce and upgrade the neo-literates skill in reading, writing and numerary.

* To link the neo-literates' literacy skill with their working and living conditions, making the acquired knowledge functional.

* To prepare the neo-literates to participate in group action for development.

Significant Spinoffs of TLCs

THE CAMPAIGNS have benefited women more and promoted the cause of women's equality since they are the major participants in the programme.

HIGHER ENROLMENT and retention of children in schools.

SIGNIFICANTLY ENHANCED participation in Family Welfare Programme noticed in several successful TLC districts.

THERE Is greater acceptance of the message of immuni- zation and substantial improvement in its actual im- plementation resulting in decline in infant mortality rate.

THE CAMPAIGNS have promoted social, cultural and linguistic integration and communal harmony.

SOCIAL EVILS like dowry, child marriage, alcoholism etc. are getting minimized and better civic and environmental awareness like promotion of `green cover' have been witnessed.

THE TOTAL Literacy Campaigns have helped to operationalise grass root level structures like VECs for effective mobilization and participation of the community in literacy/educational programmes, which have also helped other social developmental programmes and related activities.

THE `KALA JATHAS' (cultural troupes) and programmes of folk songs and dramas, use of audio-cassettes for songs, community singing etc., have resulted in a cultural revival which will go a long way in revitalizing folk traditions and maintaining the existing tempo of the Total Literacy Campaign.

IT is as a result of these social transformational ef- fects of the campaigns, that during four successive years (between 1990-1993) the literacy efforts have got international recognition.

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NATIONAL LITERARY MISSION TOTAL LITERACY CAMPAIGN

The Prime Minister Mr. R.V Narasimha Rao aptly summed up the magnitude of the task facing the NLM and its relative success through the TLCs : "As the dusk settles every day, over seven million volunteers spread across the length and breadth of this sub-continent are engaged in these campaigns trying to impart functional literacy to millions of learners, a majority of these being women. The participants in the National Literacy Mission have brought about a sea-change in the public perception of adult literacy, so much so that universal literacy is no longer perceived to be a hopeless dream, but an achievable task."

Simultaneously with post-literacy, where Non-Formal Education (NFE) is not operational or is inadequate, literacy classes preferably with the help of special primers are held for children in the 9-14 age group. The post literacy phase has emphasized linkages with socioeconomic development programmes and vocational education apart from consolidation of literacy and numeracy skills. The enthusiasm and confidence generated among the learners in the districts which have successfully completed both the Total Literacy Campaign (TLC) as well as the Post Literacy Campaign (PLC) phases, clearly points towards the need to sustain the educational process and to provide learning opportunities on a continuing basis.

In order to achieve the objectives of literacy and to make the goals accessible, efforts have been made to evolve a rapid literacy learning approach called the Improved Pace and Content of learning (IPCL). This innovative and path-breaking approach recognizes that:

* adult learners can sustain their interest in learning for a short duration, i.e. 56 months only, and

* it is possible to acquire the expected levels of functional literacy in about 200 instructional hours.

The National Literacy Mission (NLM) aims to impart literacy to the non-literate population and upgrade the quality of the neo- literate population to generate awareness and to enable them to develop their individuality. At present more than seven million vol- unteers (covering the whole of India) are involved in this programme and display great enthusiasm, dedication and commitment. Although the literacy campaigns are being implemented with varying degrees of success, it is certain that a lot of effort and innovation has gone into their implementation and remarkable progress has been made. Now that the process has begun, and is on full swing the goal of Education or appears closer.

Tentative Guidelines for a. District Literacy, Society Conducting a Post-Literacy Programme

PREPARATION OF a bridge primer to enable the neo-literates transit from guided learning to self-learning after a 30-40 hour instructor- sponsored learning.

MAKING ACCESSIBLE supple-mentary reading material such as graded periodicals and newspapers to all neo-literates. Books are a mix of core functionality, awareness education and light ac- tion/humour/poetry. Subjects to be touched upon are numerous, but only those are to be selected

which relate to the neo-literate's day-to-day development and life experiences, because that alone will create and sustain their interest in books and in this process. The reading material may be `faulty' in content, but it should be at the level of elementary literacy.

CREATING AN unstructured learning environment through graffiti, posters and hoardings, television and radio, focus group discussions, and cultural meets.

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