Literacy as Social Mobilization for Participation in Nationalist Movement

Literacy as Social Mobilization for Participation in Nationalist Movement

With the advent of popular Ministries in the Provinces, adult education in the country received not only new life but new orientation. The new syllabus of adult education was not confined to pure literacy, but included, in theory at least, civic education of adults. The media of education were extended to include publications, posters, cinema shows, etc. The movement for adult literacy, for as yet it was not very much more than that, began in the Provinces, but the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) reflected accurately the interest and thought of the country on the subject. In its 4th meeting in December 1938, it appointed a Committee to consider the question of adult education. The highlights of the Report, as became evident in the 5th meeting of the Board in May 1940, contained many recommendations, as adduced above.

The Mass Literacy Campaign (MLC) in Bihar, as in all other Provinces, and Princely States were already started and were based on civic education, which was inspired by Gandhiji’s experiment in education. Gandhiji’s ideas about adult education were the major factor in influencing the concept, purpose and role of adult education during the nationalist movement. Gandhiji’s Basic Education (Nai Taleem) was based on work as pedagogy and basis for knowledge and learning; this was the same principle both for children as well as for adults. In the case of adults, activity-based learning had a larger vision viz., (i) relevant to life’s immediate needs, as the universal truism for motivation and interest to learn by adult illiterate poor in rural areas; (ii) the spirit of co-operation which working together brings; and (iii) broadening the mental horizon of illiterates so that they participate intelligently in the freedom struggle (D.P. Nayar, 1980: 203). To Gandhiji, adult education was clearly a political strategy for social mobilization of the rural people – illiterates and literates, to participate in the nationalist movement.

While Gandhi’s Basic Education, widely emulated in different Provinces, was a constructive programme meant for strengthening of the democratic nation in the making, the Mass Literacy Campaign under the Congress Government in Bihar Province during 1938-39, was like “waging an unremitting war on poverty and ignorance” (cited in S.Y. Shah, 1999). It is surprising to note that the perception of the nexus between poverty and illiteracy and the conviction for a war on both as an inter-connected strategy.

The curriculum and content contemplated and developed for Bihar MLC, as in other Provinces, were charts and primers – charts for imparting literacy, through alphabetical method, used in formal education system and using students and teachers. Primers may have contained awareness and knowledge inputs regarding illiteracy and ignorance, illiteracy and poverty, etc. (Sohan Singh, 1957). Besides, the meetings and rallies addressed by political leaders, the instructors who were High School and College students and teachers must have given supplementary information and motivation regarding participation in the freedom struggle.

The understanding about what to teach adults stemmed from ideas of the nation state, the role of adults as citizens and their participation in the development of the country, in the socio-economic, cultural and political development processes. The image of educated persons was the ideal for the adult education programme as well.

Literacy for Citizenship and Democracy: Social Education, 1950

For an understanding of the knowledge imparted through adult education, it is important to remember some basic facts. The social education programme initiated as adult education during the first Five Year Plan, and implemented by the States, continued in some States like Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, etc., well up to the time of NAEP in 1978. The only exception were two, namely, the Gram Shikshan Mohim in Maharashtra and the FFLP which was started in three districts of three states initially, like Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka, in 1967, scaled up to 100 by 1973-74 and 144 covering many states by 1978 when the NAEP was introduced.

The objectives of Social Education were to: a) Instill a consciousness of the rights and duties of citizenship and foster a spirit of service to the community; b) Develop a love for democracy and impart an understanding of the way in which democracy functions; c) Knowledge of the outstanding problems and difficulties facing the country and the world; d) Develop love for the pride in our cultural heritage through the knowledge of our history, geography and culture; e) Teach the simple laws of personal and community health and develop habits of hygiene and cleanliness; f) Foster the growth of the co-operative spirit as a way of life; g) Provide training in crafts both as a hobby and as a means to economic betterment; h) Provide cultural and recreational facilities by way of folk dances, drama, music, poetry, recitation and other ways of spontaneous self-expression; i) Provide through these various activities as well as through reading and discussion groups, an understanding of the basic moral values; j) Give a reasonable mastery over the tools of learning-reading, writing, simple arithmetic and to create an interest in knowledge; and k) Provide facilities for continuation of education through libraries, discussion groups, clubs and Peoples’ Colleges (SY Shah, 2012).

The core curriculum suggested in the Social Education included: (1) Health and Hygiene (2) Family and Community living (3) Vocations (4) Literacy and Cultural activities and (5) Recreational activities. The Social Education was defined as a “course of study directed towards the production of consciousness of citizenship among the people and promotion of social solidarity among them”. It had three main aspects: (i) The spread of literacy among grown-up illiterates, (ii) the production of an educated mind in the masses in the absence of literacy education, and (iii) the inculcation of lively sense of rights and duties of citizenship - both as individuals and members of a powerful nation (cited in SY Shah, 1999).

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the first Education Minister and who was devoted to, and who took personal interest in adult education, emphasized that attention must be paid to education in citizenship, to personal and public health, to the provision of information which would allow people to effect some improvement in their economic condition, to the encouragement of art and literature, including creative activities and to the development of universal ethic of tolerance, mutual appreciation and universal principles of right conduct (Anil Bordia, 1981: 59).

Gram Shikshan Mohim (Village Literacy Movement), 1959-1963

The Gram Shikshan Mohim, 1959-1963 was the first genuine MLC initiated after Independence albeit in one district, viz., Satara in 1959 and up-scaled later to the whole of Maharashtra. As part of the curriculum and as topics in the syllabus, information was given regarding:

(i) Sanitation, farming, administration of the village, child development;

(ii) Importance of cleanliness, instructions regarding use of bathrooms, latrines, urinals, etc;

(iii) Inculcation of healthy habits among villagers; and

(iv) Information regarding farming methods of sowing, various types of manures, preventive measures for crop damage by diseases in view of the centrality of            agriculture to the life in the village.

For the initial campaign, the literature used consisted mainly of charts, strips and booklets, covering the topics, as above, and also relating to common themes of economic, social and religious nature, relevant to villagers (S.N. Saraf, 1982).

After the initial four months’ campaign was over, the programme of re-training in literacy and enriching the knowledge of neo-literates was taken up. This follow-up work was done through the circulating library scheme and social education centres. Four sets of booklets, each set containing 10 booklets, were circulated among the neo-literates by the teachers of primary schools through the children enrolled in schools. The theme of the materials was of direct relevance to the neo-literates and catered to their social, religious, cultural and economic felt needs. The titles of these forty booklets were:

First set: Our neighbour, our animals, our crops, kitchen gardening, our treasurers, Goddess Amba of Kolhapur, Ramayana Balkanda, Coastal part, Man’s wonderful study, Gandhi Baba.

Second set: Village family, Jewel-like Jawar, Paddy (Japanese Method), Rama Sita, Shivaji, Jeeja Bai, Sant Tuka Ram, Sant Ek Nath, Jyotiba Phule, Dr. Ambedkar.

Third set: Gandhiji’s village, groundnuts, new way, Ashoka, Eyes were opened, Agarkar, I shall be a farmer, Courts of law, Saint Gadgebaba, Bajra.

Fourth set: Sugarcane, night soil pits, Youth clubs, the farm shows the work, Sweet little home, mahila mandals (women’s clubs), wheat, better nutrition within one’s means, Sweet grapes, animal diseases.

These were materials about national leaders, historical personalities, major agricultural crops, civic and social matters, religious deities, etc. It is revealing and sobering to note that these aspects of learning as part of adult education were internalized as critical and followed at least 6-7 years ahead of the global trend as evident in (EWLP) and in (FFLP), a few years thereafter.

Functional Literacy: Shift from Citizenship Pre-occupation

Improving the efficiency of the farmers for increasing agricultural production in the districts covered under HYVP was the objective of this programme of Farmers’ Training and Functional Literacy Programme started in 1967-68 in three districts as a pilot project. As the operations involved adoption of improved and scientific practices, the farmers’ training programme provided the essential inputs. Since illiteracy constituted a serious obstacle to increased production, the functional literacy programme of Ministry of Education (MOE) helped illiterate farmers to not only acquire literacy in reading and writing skills, but also the agricultural knowledge of immediate use to them in their day to day work. Much like the programmes in Algeria, Ecuador, Guinea, India, Iran, Madagascar, Mali, Tanzania, Zambia, etc., as part of the UN Agencies-sponsored EWLP, the functional literacy was envisaged (S.C. Dutta, 1986: 93-94) to help farmers to:

.               Complete simple application forms for loans;

.               Read and prepare their own Input Cards;

.               Write simple letters;

.               Keep simple account of the operations;

.               Read and understand labels on fertilizer bags and pesticide packages; and

.               Read and make use of simple extension bulletins, rural newspapers, etc.