understanding of the diversity and plurality of India' culture and people amongst

the students.
6.21.6 Navodaya Vidyalayas have good physical and academic infrastructure and
their students have done consistently well in Board examinations.
6.21.7 Likewise, the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidhyalaya (KGBV) a residential
school system meant for upper secondary girl children, also reportedly enjoy a
good reputation for quality.
Recommendations
6.21.8 The Committee came across good feedback about the performance of KVs,
JNVs and KGBV during its field visits and interactions with State officials, which leads
it to believe that Government schools can also provide high quality of education even
while fulfilling a social objective and operating within the constraints of a
bureaucratic system.
6.21.9 The Committee recommends that the reasons for success of Kendriya and
Navodaya Vidyalayas should be studied by independent experts, and the results
should be made available to all State Governments to help them improve their own
Government schools.
6.21.10 The Committee recommends that in the long run the objective for all
Government schools should be to aim to reach the average quality of a Kendriya or
Navodaya Vidyalaya.
***
6.22 Adult Education and Literacy
(a)

Literacy Efforts in India

6.22.1 Post-Independent India inherited a system of education, which was

characterized by large scale and intra-regional imbalances. The system educated a
select few, leaving a wide gap between the educated and illiterate. The countrys
literacy rate in 1951 was only 18.32 percent and female literacy was abysmally
low at 8.86 percent. Only one child out of three had an opportunity for enrolment
in primary school. Educational inequality was aggravated by economic inequality,
gender disparity and rigid social stratification.
6.22.2 Eradication of illiteracy has been a major national concern since
independence. A number of significant programmes have been taken up since
Independence to eradicate illiteracy among adults, and today the overall literacy
rate in the country stands at 74 per cent, largely on account of the interventions
made over the years, including:
(i)

National Adult Education Programme (NAEP) - launched on 2 October,

1978. This was the first programme in India taken up at the macro
117

level to eradicate illiteracy through project approach. It was a massive

programme aimed at educating 100 million non-literate adults in the
age-group of 15-35 years within a time frame of five years.
(ii)

Rural Functional Literacy Project (RFLP) - the objective of the scheme

was to impart functional literacy to all illiterate persons in 15-35 age
group by organising literacy centres in accordance with the norms and
guidelines issued by the then Department of Education, Ministry of
HRD from time to time.

(iii) National Literacy Mission (NLM) - launched on 5 May, 1988 as a

Technology Mission to impart functional literacy to non-literates in the
country in the age group of 15-35 years in a time bound manner
through the Total Literacy Campaign (TLC) approach.
(iv) Sakshar Bharat Abhiyan launched in September 2009 to impart
functional literacy and numeracy, enable the neo-literate adults to
continue their learning beyond basic literacy and acquire equivalency
to formal educational system, impart relevant skill development to
improve earning capacity and living conditions, and promote a learning
society by providing opportunities to neo-literate adults for continuing
education.
(b)

Why Literacy?

6.22.3 Literacy confers a wide set of benefits on individuals, on families and

communities. One set of benefits is social benefits, as exemplified by better
knowledge and participation in health and family planning, adoption of preventive
health measures, such as immunization, and in bringing about change in personal
living and working patterns to ensure that children regularly attend school. The
consequences of literacy on school education and infant mortality rates are
immense. Literate mothers and parents understand the value of sending their
children to school.
6.22.4 Literacy has been path breaking in many respects. It has breached social
barriers, such as, the purdah system, and brought about social endorsement for
womens participation in the basic literacy and continuing education programs. It
has fostered social consensus for the participation of dalits, tribals and some
minorities. Indeed, literacy is a powerful instrument of social and gender equality,
and an instrument to fight exploitation and oppression.
6.22.5 Another set of benefits from literacy is economic; literacy levels certainly
have a positive impact on enhancing earning capacities.
6.22.6 A third set of benefits is political. This is best exemplified by the large
numbers of women who have stood for and won elections at the different tiers of
the Panchayati Raj system and have the confidence to actively participate in gram
sabhas and community meetings.
118

6.22.7 But the most important are human benefits, which are deeply tied to an
individuals self esteem, confidence and personal empowerment to take individual
and collective action in various contexts, such as the household, workplace and the
community.
6.22.8 Clearly, benefits will not accrue if literacy is merely confined to signing
ones name and learning a few letters of the alphabet. Learning to sign ones name
without being able to read or comprehend what is signed is, in fact, a travesty. If
literacy is to liberate people from oppression, exploitation and insecurity, provide
them social, economic, political and human benefits, then literacy proficiency must
at least be up to a level that a person can continue learning in an independent and
self reliant manner.
(c)

Mapping the Challenge of Illiteracy

6.22.9 The map of illiteracy in India is clear. Despite impressive gains, sadly, the
problem of illiteracy persists in the country. Census 2011 data shows that one in
every 10 households still does not have even one single literate member.
Households without a single literate member are largely among dalit, tribal groups
and migrant families.
6.22.10 The northern belt, including the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya
Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh account for the highest number of Indias
non-literates. In the North East literacy levels are low in the States of Arunachal
Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya.
6.22.11 The male female differential in literacy has declined; nonetheless
continues to be high at 16.3 percent. Likewise, one third of the SC, ST population
cannot read or write.
6.22.12 In this age and date, it is important that some segments of the population
are not left behind. The challenge of literacy is one of commitment and relentless
perseverance. If the fruits of social and economic development are to reach the
people, then the gap between the haves and have-nots must be bridged. This
certainly cannot happen if over 300 million persons in the country do not have
access to the world of letters.
6.22.13 There is both a need and urgency to devise strategies of action that
address the pressing needs the country is facing in this vital area of creating an
inclusive human and social capital, that can participate and share equally in the
growing economic capacity of the Indian nation.
Recommendations
6.22.14 Reaffirm Governments commitment to basic literacy and opportunity for
continuing education and lifelong learning for all illiterate persons above the age of
15 years.
119

6.22.15 Provide for seamless transition from basic literacy to continuing education.
Do away with the serial nature of the literacy effort; meaning that the work proceeds
in separate phases of basic literacy, continuing education and lifelong education as
was the case before implying that these three tasks could go on in parallel and
simultaneously in a district. This would reduce delays that were faced in the field
between the completion of one phase and launching of the next.
6.22.16 Take up area projects: Well-defined geographical area should be taken up
by NGOs, Government, Schools/Colleges/educational institutions, etc. A beginning
could be made with careful household surveys of the educational status of all
illiterate persons. Efforts should be made to eradicate illiteracy in the selected area,
simultaneously meet the continuing education needs of the people, and impart a
momentum to relevant development activities. Districts with low literacy
attainments, particularly low female literacy have to be the immediate focus.
6.22.17 Mobilize youth and women: The new mass mobilization and steering of the
mass programme will depend heavily on adolescents, youth and women. They are the
most important and promising vanguard of the literacy movement. There can be
many ways of energizing them, motivating SHGs to include literacy in their activities;
building collectives of women at village, panchayat and block levels; creating objectoriented organizations of women etc.
6.22.18 Establish equivalency with formal education programmes and skill
development: It is recommended that the content and curriculum for adult
education programmes should be comparable to competencies achieved by students
of class V/VIII/X.
6.22.19 Reinstate State Resource Centres (SRCs) and Jana Shikshan Sansthans
(JSSs): Reinstate the position of SRCs and JSSs as organs of civil society who have the
ability to assess the learning needs of their area and develop programmes
accordingly, adhering at the same time to the overall goals of literacy and to the
value framework enshrined in our Constitution.
6.22.20 The Committee recommends that in view of the large number of illiterates in
the country, programmes for adult literacy at education should be given high
priority.
*****

120