 ADULT EDUCATION

NATIONAL LITERACY MISSION

Adult Education has been an abiding concern of the Government for long. In order to give greater thrust to Adult Education, National Literacy Mission was launched in 1988. National Literacy Mission aims to make 100 million persons literate by 1997. The focus is on 15-35 age group while children in the age group of 9-14 are also covered where there are no NFE Centres.

The Total Literacy Campaigns (TLC) have now been accepted as the principal strategy of the National Literacy mission. TLC is area- specific, timebound, cost-effective, outcome-oriented and delivered through voluntarism. Post Literacy Campaigns (PLCs) are launched to mop up the leftover non-literates and to consolidate the gains of literacy acquired during TLC , and to enable the neo-literates to develop abilities for self-learning.

While 368 TLCs have been approved so far covering 379 Districts(fully or partially) the corresponding figure for PLC is 140 covering 160 Districts.

TLCs have evoked an enthusiastic response from the women and weaker sections of the society, especially the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. More than 60% of the learners attending classes are women.

The focus of the Total Literacy Campaigns has now been shifted to the Hindi speaking States which also account for the bulk of the non- literate population.

SHRAMIK VIDYAPEETHS

The Shramik Vidyapeeths represent an institutional framework for offering non-formal, adult and continuing education and polyvalent training programme to industrial workers. At present 53 Shramik Vidyapeeths are in operation. During 1995-96, 5 new Shramik Vidyapeeths have been sanctioned.

RURAL FUNCTIONAL LITERACY PROJECT

The revamped Scheme of Rural Functional Literacy Projects (RFLP), is a Centre-based programme is being implemented in the states of Jammu and Kashmir,

Sikkim, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, border districts of Rajasthan and North--Eastern States.

PORT LITERACY & CONTINUING EDUCATION

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. Over 22, 000 Janshikshan Nilayams have been sanctioned in different States/UTs and, of these around 18,000 are operational. A new scheme of continuing education has been formulated with the approval of the cabinet and action is being taken to implement the scheme.

ASSISTANCE TO VOLUNTARY AGENCIES

Voluntary Agencies are provided financial assistance for imparting literacy to adult illiterates in the age group 15-35 for 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.

148 TLC projects have so far been sanctioned through Voluntary Agencies for making a total of about 20 lakh adults literate. At present 22 State Resource Centres are functioning in various states.

DIRECTORATE OF ADULT EDUCATION

The Directorate of Adult Education (DAE) is functioning as the National Resource Centre in the field of Adult Education and The main activities of the Directorate are Preparation of teaching/ learning Material; Organising training programmes and workshops; monitoring and assessing the progress of Literacy Campaigns in the country; Providing Technical support to State Resource Centres; Media Support to Literacy campaigns; Organising National Level poster, photo and essay competitions for School/College students and Teachers/Professionals etc.; monitoring Shramik Vidyapeeth Programmes; Publication of books, monthly journals, etc. , on literacy, and Extending Financial Support, to Population Education Projects.