(a) the details of adult education envisaged under the New Education Policy (NEP);
(b) the details of infrastructure deemed necessary for promoting adult education;
(c) the vision of the Government to achieve 100 percent universal literacy in the country; and
(d) if so, details of the plans to achieve universal literacy in the country?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
(DR. SUBHAS SARKAR)
(a) The National Education Policy 2020 (NEP) envisaged in Para 21.4 regarding ‘Adult Education and Lifelong Learning’ that “Strong and innovative government initiatives for adult education - in particular, to facilitate community involvement and the smooth and beneficial integration of technology - will be affected as soon as possible to expedite this all-important aim of achieving 100% literacy”.
(b) The NEP envisaged suitable infrastructure for adult education and lifelong learning. A key initiative in this direction is to use schools/ school complexes after school hours and on weekends and public library spaces for adult education courses which are ICT-equipped when possible and for other community engagement and enrichment activities. The sharing of infrastructure for school, higher, adult, and vocational education, and for other community and volunteer activities, is critical for ensuring efficient use of both physical and human resources.
(c) & (d) In order to achieve universal literacy, the Department of School Education and Literacy has launched the Samagra Shiksha - an Integrated Scheme for School Education, throughout the country as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with effect from Financial Year 2018-19. This programme subsumes the three erstwhile Centrally Sponsored Schemes of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education (TE). It is an overarching programme for the school education sector extending from pre-school to class XII and aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education at all levels of school education. It envisages the ‘school’ as a continuum from pre-school, primary, upper primary, secondary to senior secondary levels. The States/UTs are assisted by the central government to implement the Samagra Shiksha as a programme for providing universal access and retention, bridging the gender and social category gaps in education and enhancement of learning level of children at all levels of school education.
In order to improve literacy rate, a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Adult Education namely Saakshar Bharat was implemented in the rural areas of 404 districts in 26 States and one UT, that had adult female literacy rate of 50 percent and below as per Census 2001, including left wing extremism affected districts, irrespective of their literacy rates, with special focus on women and other disadvantaged groups, since October 2009. The scheme was extended upto 31.03.2019. During the implementation of Saakshar Bharat scheme, against the overall target of making 7 crore adult non-literates as literates, around 7.64 crore learners, having passed the biannual Basic Literacy Assessment Tests conducted by National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) between August, 2010 to March, 2018, were certified as literates. Further, a new Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Adult Education “Padhna Likhna Abhiyaan” is being implemented in rural and urban areas of 33 states/ UTs during the financial year 2020-21, with a target of making 48.16 lakh adult non-literates as literates. The scheme has been further extended upto 31.03.2022.
As per the recommendations of NEP 2020, the National Centre for Literacy (NCL) has been established in National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) for development of adult education curriculum framework which includes five types of programmes, each with clearly defined outcomes: (i) foundational literacy and numeracy; (ii) critical life skills (including financial literacy, digital literacy, commercial skills, health care and awareness, child care and education, and family welfare); (iii) vocational skills development (with a view towards obtaining local employment); (iv) basic education (including preparatory, middle, and secondary stage equivalency); and (v) continuing education (including engaging holistic adult education courses in arts, sciences, technology, culture, sports, and recreation, as well as other topics of interest or use to local learners, such as more advanced material on critical life skills).
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