Chapter 3. Long-term Objectives and Commitments for Literacy

3. Long-term Objectives and Commitments for Literacy
   
   3.1 National Level
   With the global EFA 2000 Assessment and Dakar Forum occurring in between, the Ninth Plan (1977-2002) marks a transition phase that witnessed a new set of objectives and target deadlines set up for literacy in India. With most districts in the country getting covered under TLC, NLM focus during IX Plan shifted to reorganizing Post-Literacy Programmes. On Continuing Education front, NLM was trying to figure out ways of providing sustained support to CE programmes. These shifts in focus were facilitated by the Cabinet approving some very significant changes in NLM’s activities, described as “revamping of NLM” (MHRD, 2001: 111).
   The Cabinet approved changes as reported in its EFA 2000 Assessment, and Dakar Declarations as a reference point, Tenth Plan Working Group identified the priority areas in adult literacy programme: adult illiteracy as basically the problem of disadvantaged social groups like the SCs and STs, including women, and therefore, calling for special efforts to remove the obstacles to their participation in the literacy programmes (MHRD, 2001: 113-14). The same has been endorsed and adopted in the final Plan as well (Planning Commission, 2002: 67).
   The goals, targets and strategies approved by Tenth Plan (Planning Commission, 2002: 85) in respect of NLM relate to:
   • Achieving … literacy… level of 75% by 2005;
   • Covering all left over districts [through amalgamated TL-PL programmes] by 2005;
   • Removing residual illiteracy in the existing [CE] districts by 2004-05;
   • Completing Post-Literacy in all districts; and
   • Launching CE Programmes in 100 [more] districts before the end of Plan period [it was 152 districts in 2002].
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   • 3.1.1 Literacy in EFA-National Plan of Action, 2003: Continuation of
     
     “Revamped” Directions and Re-focus in Strategies
     In the light of EFA goals and targets set up in Dakar Framework for Action and clearly aligned to social and gender equity thrusts, NLM felt the necessity to effect a certain re-focusing of its strategies pursued since 1999. The EFA-NPA’s new “thrust areas” in literacy include (MHRD, 2003: 85):
     ❖ Achievement of 75 per cent literacy level by 2007.
     ❖ A multi-pronged strategy to address regional, social and gender disparities in literacy.
     ❖ Refocusing literacy, post-literacy and CE programmes to increase and strengthen women’s participation, so as to bridge gender gap in literacy.
     ❖ Encouraging PL and CE districts to pay special attention on mobilization and organization of women into neo-literate and self-help groups (SHGs).
     ❖ Special attention to socially disadvantaged groups like SCs/STs and women.
     ❖ 45 districts with <30 % female literacy rate selected for a multi-pronged strategy to raise female literacy.
     ❖ Special stress with ZSS to specifically highlight strategies to take up literacy and skill upgradation programmes for SCs/STs and women in particular. The overriding priority of NLM at present is to address the 45 low female literacy districts, and residual illiteracy in other areas, which broadly coincides with illiteracy concentration among socio-economically disadvantaged sections and pockets. But even by doing this, it is doubtful if NLM can bring about 75% literacy rate by 2007, because, by its own estimate, “the present (2003) literacy rate of 64 per cent will improve to around 80 per cent by the year 2015”, and, “India can be placed in the category of countries which are likely to reach adult literacy rates of 70-90 percent in the year 2015”. By the same reckoning, NLM also admits that “to achieve the Dakar goal of halving the illiteracy rate by 2015, India needs to reduce illiteracy rate by 20 per cent” and, “India is likely to reach this goal by 2015 in terms of halving the illiteracy percentage from 40 per cent in 2000 to 20 per cent by 2015” ( MHRD, 2003: 84).
     3.2 Long-term Commitments and Objectives for Literacy: Some States
     3.2.1 Andhra Pradesh
     As part of its commitment to make Andhra Pradesh (AP) not just a literate state but a knowledge society, the Government’s primary goal since 2000 has been to increase overall literacy level to over 95% by 2005. Taking stock of the literacy scenario in the year 2000, and with a view to accelerate the pace to achieve the literacy target by 2005, a state-wide (district-wise) massive, community-based literacy campaign called Akshara Sankranti Programme (ASP) was launched in October 2000. On actual count, the numbers enrolled in the first round itself – 6 million – turned out to be more than the initial assessment of 5 million in 2000. Including the subsequent mopping up rounds that covered the left outs as well as drop outs and slow learners of earlier rounds, as per official reports, 11.85 million illiterates were enrolled, and 6.45 million of them were made literate between 2000 and 2003. (NIEPA-UNESCO, 2003: 27-28). This programme still continues, taking up residual illiterates. AP is the only State in India that has moved beyond NLM visualized (5 year duration) CE to conceptualizing an institutional framework for lifelong learning, by establishing a Community Learning Centre (CLC) in each village – Gram Panchayat. CLC is visualized as nodal point for converging all activities of open schooling, libraries and CECs. The CLC scheme is still at a nascent stage. (NIEPA-UNESCO, 2003: 28).
     3.2.2 Madhya Pradesh
     Taking note of the unenviable record of TLC approach which made .54 million adults literate in 9 years, Madhya Pradesh (MP) evolved its own strategy for literacy, moving away from the standardized national model. The new strategy was grounded on the principle of collectivity and incentivisation and convergence of literacy with nascent economic activities – principles chosen, bearing in mind, and sustainability of literacy pursuit through PL and CE stages. The programme anchored on these principles was the Literacy-Improvement Campaign (Padhna Badhna Andolan), taken up by their society (Padhna Badhna Samiti [PBS]). Started in 1999, MP reported 217,000 PBS, enrolling 5.18 million learners, and 2.98 million clearing the external evaluation. 57,000 of the 217,000 PBS (over 90% of them being women groups) were subsequently re-positioned as SHGs, taking up their literacy consolidation and savings, and moved from PL to CE stages. As a result of its vigorous EGS and PBA efforts, MP recorded an unprecedented jump of 20% in literacy in 1990s, with the 2001 Census reporting a literacy rate of 64.11%, nearly lifting it out of its erstwhile educationally backward state status. MP also has the unique distinction – of being the first and only State -- of brining in adult education provisions as an integral part of education as a Fundamental Right (NIEPA- UNESCO, 2003: 118-22).
     3.3 Formal and Non-formal Education: The Relative Dimension of Long-term
     Objectives and Commitments
     The EFA Goals covering formal and non-formal education adopted in Dakar Framework for Action set up 2015 as deadline. India, however, preferred a deadline far ahead, i.e., 2010 to achieve these same goals. In setting up ambitious targets, and target deadlines, there is no difference in India’s EFA-NPA between non-formal and formal education. But this equality of sectors or its targets is not matched either in respect of relative share of funds allocation or fund lows. The funds requirements indicated for elementary education, including mid-day meals and girls education represented 77.65% of the Rs. 952,770 million funds for EFA, and for adult education, with Rs. 6340 million, including Post-Literacy and Continuing Education, it stood at 0.66% (Planning Commission, 2002).
     This implies that the education of 167.76 (6-14 age) million children attending school in 2000 (Planning Commission, 2003: 34), the funds requirement indicated in EFA-NPA works out to be Rs. 567 per child. For literacy (100 million) and CE (100 million) of adults, the indicated funds requirement works out to be Rs. 31.7 per person –, indicating the relative priorities of the sectors within EFA. For every Re.1 spent by government on literacy and continuing education of an adult, it spends Rs. 17.8 on a child’s schooling.
     The relative priority of elementary education and adult education within EFA- NPA can also be seen in the systems of funds flow. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, the flagship programme for UEE under EFA directly releases funds to state implementing societies, which in turn transfers it, along with state share, to bank accounts maintained by village education or school management committees, that manage and account for all expenditure of the school (MHRD, 2003: 92). The funds flow system for adult literacy and CE programmes is from NLM to the State Literacy Mission Authority (SLMA) which would then transfer it to Zilla Sakshratha Samiti (ZSS), which is expected to channel it below (SLMA is NLMA’s counterpart at the State level and ZSS is the implementing agency at district level). This is a total reversal of the earlier system of funds transfer from NLM directly to ZSS, a model that SSA has borrowed but NLM abandoned, allowing return of the proverbial red tape and perennial uncertainty and delays between sanction and actual receipt of funds, with so many layers in between.
     Literacy and Continuing Education of adults is an integral part of EFA-NPA, but within EFA, it remains an insignificant entity, with all the priority, in policy and funding, going for the education of school age children --UEE.
     3.4 Extent of Integration of Literacy Policies in EFA Plan and Poverty Reduction
     Strategies
     Prior to the EFA Decade of 1990s, education as basic right or entitlement was confined to the education of children. Even the Constitutional mandate to the State was only about providing free and compulsory education to all children up to 14 years of age. It was only after the Jomtien Declaration, namely education as a fundamental right for all people, women and men, of all ages, that such an approach had also become part of India’s policy discourse. Even during 1990s, and despite endorsing the rights approach to basic education for “every person – child, youth and adult”, India followed the sectoral rather than an integrated or holistic approach in EFA, that entails not only shared perspective, but also inter-sectoral coordination. This, however, changed after Dakar Declaration. Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), primary education, literacy and CE and life skills programmes for youth and adults, have come to be treated as an integral part of EFA, as evident in the Tenth Plan document (Planning Commission, 2002). A similar integrated approach has been adopted in India’s EFA-NPA (2003) as well. Now, for example, ECCE programmes, although administered by a different Ministry, is treated as an integral part of the EFA endeavor, and so are the initiatives for girls education (MHRD. 2003). In the matter of education of school age children, there is a pervasive and overarching emphasis and orientation of reaching out to the socio-economically disadvantaged and marginalized sections and pockets, girls in particular. This is anchored in the understanding that education is an instrument of socio-economic improvement more urgently needed in case of the disadvantaged sections. The very focus of whole range of incentives in universal free elementary education drive across all states is to align and strengthen the poverty-reduction edge in the education of socio-economically disadvantaged sections, without which education would remain an unaffordable luxury. Though not explicitly articulated, this is also the approach in adult literacy and CE programmes.