Padhna Likhna Abhiyan

On the eve of International Literacy Day, our honourable Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi, launched Padhna Likhna Abhiyan to tackle the literacy-connected challenges that arose in the post-Covid world. This is a literacy scheme for adults by the government of India. This scheme has been launched to educate the adults of India. The theme for the Literacy Day of this year was literacy learning and teaching in the crisis of COVID-19 and beyond it. The current pandemic has compelled people to realise the potential literacy has for people of every age group, and the technology will act as a facilitator.

So far, India has made many efforts to wipe out its illiteracy level. It implemented many campaigns and schemes, like FFLP (Farmer’s Functional Literacy Project), FLAW (Functional Literacy For Adult Women), RFLP (Rural Functional Literacy Project), MPFL (Mass Programme of Functional Literacy), and NLM (National Literacy Mission). Still, our country is continuously lagging behind, achieving a 100 percent rate of literacy by 2023. 

The project Saakshar Bharat ran across twenty-six states and 1 union territory, and it covered nearly 1.64 lakh gram panchayats. Beginning from August 2010 – March 2018, NIOS (National Institute of Open Schooling) regulated Basic Literacy Assessment Tests. Here, more than ten crore individuals took part. Out of these ten crore individuals, 7.64 crore people got through the test. It had 2.26 crore males and 5.38 crore, females.

(Image will be uploaded soon)

The Focus of Adult Education

The focus of Padna Likhna Abhiyan, or adult education, is on the fundamental literacy components in a cycle of 4 months among the adults of India. And for this purpose, NITI Aayog, the think tank of the government, has underlined one hundred and twelve aspirational districts. This policy will concentrate on accomplishing Total Literacy or 100 percent by the year 2030. This scheme will combine with the current schemes that the government has been regulating.

Under the scheme of adult education, huge literacy projects would be launched in the forest and tribal areas, slums, prisons, etc., and here, technology will act as the facilitator. The job of the technology will be imparting quality education in backward zones with the formation of mobile applications, e-materials, and many more.

Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, our honourable Union Education Minister in a blog posted on Indian Express, has requested the retired govt. teachers as well as other employees, volunteers, and homemakers to take part in forming a literate India. Nishank assured that the components for teaching and learning would be made obtainable in the public domain and that too free of cost. The teachers will also be provided with the required instructions and guidelines.

Framework of the Programme of Adult Education

The Ministry of Education has presented some guidelines for the programme. According to the guidelines, this programme presupposes the recognition of non-literates via a survey and imparts instructor-based teaching of nearly one hundred and twenty hours to them. This is spread over 4 months and beyond this period, too, based on the learners’ motivation and local conditions. After the learners would finish one hundred and twenty hours of instructional learning, they would be able to read and also comprehend unknown text, like road signs, newspaper headings, etc. 

They would also be capable of applying their writing skills in their regular activities, such as writing letters and applications and filling up various application forms. The learners will also be taught to solve modest problems involving subtraction, addition, division, and multiplication. After the learners complete their education process, they will receive a certificate. So, this scheme will open up some real opportunities for learners to get further education via Open Learning Systems. 

Learners will get classes at a venue and time that would be suitable for them. SLMAs (State Literacy Mission Authorities) will be obliged to make arrangements for the utilisation of the Panchayat Building, school buildings, Community Hall, etc., so that they can be out-of-school hours for being utilised for carrying out literacy classes besides some related activities. NCERT (National Council of Educational Research & Training) has formed a Primer that would cater to adult learners and contain lessons on numeracy and literacy.

View of Adult Education

Adult education is the literacy scheme for adults by the government of India. IT ensures the complete abolition of illiteracy in India. This scheme has been initiated by the Dept. of School Education and Literacy. It focuses on proposing fundamental literacy to people in its beginning stage. With passing time, the programme will shift its focus on the fundamental literacy element, like vocational education or skill development, emotional and physical development, equivalency, applied science, practical arts, or recreation. This programme would give every learner a chance to have either crossed the age to get a formal education or missed the opportunity to get a formal education and now feel a desire and requirement for learning.

The chief target of Adult education is imparting functional literacy to fifty-five lakh adult illiterates who fall in the age group of fifteen years and above under a fundamental literacy programme in a span of one year, beginning from the financial years 2020-2021. In between these targets, this scheme will concentrate on Scheduled Castes (SCs) women, Minorities, Scheduled Tribes (STs), and various other groups of disadvantaged people. The state or the union territory would take the responsibility of distributing the selected target to some districts that they choose.

The good thing is the scheme will have a supple approach besides innovative methodologies, like involving school as well as college students besides other volunteers of many schemes, like NCC (National Cadet Corps), NSS (National Service Scheme), and NYKS (Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan) to impart fundamental literacy.

Voluntary Teaching in Adult Education

A volunteer will work as a trainer, mobiliser, and teacher, and he will be liable to impart literacy to 8-10 learners on average. At the operational level, the implementing agency and the local bodies, like Municipality and Gram Panchayat, will be liable to identify the potential learners and volunteers, their matching and batching. It will also make preparations for their training besides distributing literacy kits to volunteers and learners. 

The job of the agency will also encompass keeping a trail of the progressions that every learner or the volunteer group will make besides ensuring that the drive of learning isn’t lost. A voluntary literacy educator won’t be paid any remuneration. As higher motivational levels of Voluntary Literacy Educators happen to be critical, the govt. has made plans for motivating them via various means that include public recognition at various levels for their contribution.

Some Unknown Facts about Adult Education

• The program “Adult education” concentrates on the fundamental literacy component in a 4-months cycle. Here, the aspirational districts will get a huge priority.

• This program will cover both urban and rural areas. The budget and target of states and union territories will be mentioned in the Annexure, and the details are provided in the encompassed Operational Guidelines. The states and union territories will hand out targets to different districts.

• This scheme will possess a flexible approach and some innovative methodologies, like involving school students and college students along with other volunteers of NSS, NYKS, and NCC to impart basic literacy.

• The presence of the PAB (Project Approval Board) at the national level will sanction the yearly plans of states and union territories. The Secretaries of Education would present their yearly plans formed on district plans.

• Adult education will encourage the formation and involvement of Voluntary and User Groups, SHGs, and various other community-based organisations.

• Meetings with projects of MGNREGA M/o Rural Development, skill development, information technology, culture, sports, finance, and Youth Welfare, Civil Society/NGOs, NSS and NCC, and CSR sector might be taken up.