Context:
In order to push for adult literacy under the New India Literacy Programme (NILP), the Union Ministry of Education (MoE) has defined “literacy” and what it means to achieve “full literacy” in a letter to all States.
Relevance:
GS II- Education
Dimensions of the Article:
- Literacy under NILP
- About New India Literacy Programme
- Objectives of the scheme
- Salient Features of the scheme
Literacy under NILP
- Definition of Literacy: The Ministry of Education (MoE) defines literacy as the capability to read, write, and perform arithmetic tasks with understanding. Additionally, it involves identifying, understanding, interpreting, and creating content, as well as acquiring vital life skills like digital and financial literacy.
- Full Literacy: A State or Union Territory (UT) achieves full literacy status when it records a 95% literacy rate.
- Literacy Certification Criteria: Under the National Initiative for Literacy Promotion (NILP), an individual is recognized as literate upon successfully passing the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Test (FLNAT).
- FLNAT Details:
- Purpose: The FLNAT evaluates essential reading, writing, and numeracy skills to establish foundational literacy.
- Locations: Conducted across all participating States/UTs within District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs) and government-supported or aided schools.
- Multilingual Support: The test promotes multilingualism, aligning with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, by being available in various regional languages.
- Certification: Participants are certified as literate upon passing this test.
- Performance Insights:
- 2023 Outcome: Of the 39,94,563 adult learners assessed, 36,17,303 were declared literate, translating to a certification rate of 85.27% in 2024.
About New India Literacy Programme
- The scheme will cover non-literates of the age of 15 years and above in all state/UTs in the country.
- The scheme will be implemented through volunteerism through online mode.
- The training, orientation, workshops of volunteers, may be organized through face-to-face mode.
- All material and resources shall be provided digitally for easy access to registered volunteers through easily accessible digital modes, viz, TV, radio, cell phone-based free/open-source Apps/portals, etc.
- The target for Foundational Literacy and Numeracy for FYs 2022-27 is 5 (five) crore learners @ 1.00 crore per year by using “Online Teaching, Learning and Assessment System (OTLAS)” in collaboration with National Informatics Centre, NCERT and NIOS in which a learner may register him/herself with essential information like name, date of birth, gender, Aadhaar number, mobile number etc.
- As a progressive step, it has also been decided that from now onwards that the term “Education For All” will be used in place of “Adult Education” by the Ministry in view of the fact that the terminology “Adult Education” is not incorporating appropriately all non-literates of 15 years and above age group.
Objectives of the scheme
- To impart foundational literacy and numeracy
- To impart critical life skills (including financial literacy, digital literacy, commercial skills, health care and awareness, child care and education, and family welfare);
- Vocational skills development (with a view towards obtaining local employment);
- Basic education (including preparatory, middle, and secondary stage equivalency);
- 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).
Salient Features of the scheme
- School will be Unit for implementation of the scheme.
- Schools to be used for conducting survey of beneficiaries and Voluntary Teachers (VTs).
- Different strategies are to be adopted for different age cohorts. Flexibility for States/UTs will be provided to undertake innovative activities.
- Use of Technologies to impart Adult Education for wider coverage of the scheme.
- Performance Grading Index (PGI) for State/UT and district level will show the performance of States and UTs to implement the scheme and achievements on yearly basis by weighing both the physical and financial progress through UDISE portal.
- CSR/Philanthropic Support may be received by hosting ICT support, providing volunteer support, opening facilitation centres for learners and for providing IT access to economically weak learners in the form of cell phones, etc
- There will be involvement of community, participation of philanthropic/CSR organizations through volunteerism and through Vidyanjali portal.
- States/UTs will promote individual/ family/ village/ district success stories through various platforms.
- It will utilize all types of media – Electronic, Print, Folk & Inter-personal platforms including social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, TV channels, radio, etc.
- Annual Achievement Survey of Learning Outcomes by samples of 500-1000 randomly selected learners from each state/UT and Outcome-Output Monitoring Framework (OOMF).
Need for this scheme
- As per Census 2011, the absolute number of non-literates of the country in 15 years and above age group is 25.76 crore (Male 9.08 crore, Female 16.68 crore).
- Even after the Saakshar Bharat programme implemented during 2009-10 to 2017-18, it is estimated that currently around 18.12 crore adults are still non-literate in India.
