Adult education in India Information

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Adult Education Initiatives in India

The programme of adult literacy did not rake much headway. The literacy rate in India, therefore, increased only from 18.37 per cent in 1951 to 24.02 per cent in 1961.

N A T I O N A L L I T E R A C Y M I S S I O N ( N L M )

The National Literacy Mission came into being on 5th May, 1988 to impart seriousness to adult education. Literacy in India has made remarkable strides since Independence and according to the provisional results of the Census 2001. The literacy rate of India has increased from 18.33% in 1951 to 65.38% in 2001. Subsequently National Literacy Mission received international recognition when it was awarded the UNESCO's NOMA Literacy Prize for 1999.

NLM OBJECTIVES: Seeks to impart functional literacy to all non-literate persons in 15-35 age group.
In qualitative terms, functional literacy implies:

Self-reliance in 3 R's
Participation in the development process.
Skill improvement to improve economic status and general well being.
Imbibing values of national integration, conservation of environment, women's equality and observance of small family norms etc.

The NLM seeks to achieve these objectives through the following:

by creating an environment conducive to teaching- learning process, provision of good and relevant teaching-learning materials and facilitating teaching-learning by good training, media and communication;
by improving the pace of learning and injecting confidence among the learners about their potential to learn and by ensuring that the process is not drudgery;
by integrating basic literacy with post-literacy and continuing education; and
by developing the quality of human resources at all levels of functionaries through orientation and training.

World Literacy at a Glance:

(in million)

	Total	Male	Female
*Population (2000)**	6091.3	3068.9	3022.4
Literacy Rate(15+)**	876.0	313.0	563.0
Non Literates(15+) (%)**	79.4	85.3	73.6

Source: * Labour Statistics, ILO - 2000

** Unesco 1999 Statistical Year Book
(Estimated literacy rates for the year 2000)

LITERACY STATUS IN SOME ASIAN COUNTRIES

South Asian Countries

Country	Total Non-Literate Population 15+age (in million)	Literacy Rate 15+ (%)(2000)
Country	Total Non-Literate Population 15+age (in million)	Total	Male	Female
Maldives	--	96.3	96.3	96.4
Sri Lanka	--	1.17	91.6	94.5
India*	NA	58.5	72.3	44.4
Bhutan	0.64	47.3	61.1	33.6
Pakistan	51.67	43.3	57.6	27.8
Nepal	8.27	41.4	59.1	23.8
Bangladesh	49.62	40.08	51.7	29.5

Other Asian Countries

Country	Total Non-literate Population 15+ age (in millions)	Literacy Rate 15+ (%) (2000)
Country	Total Non-literate Population 15+ age (in millions)	Total	Male	Female
South Korea	0.84	97.8	99.2	96.4
Thailand	2.04	95.6	97.2	94.0
Philippines	2.25	95.4	95.5	95.2
Vietnam	3.61	93.3	95.7	91.0
Malaysia	1.83	87.5	91.5	83.6
Indonesia	19.24	87.0	91.9	82.1
China	144.46	85.0	92.3	77.4
Myanmar	4.98	84.7	89.0	80.6
Iran	10.00	76.9	83.7	70.0
Laos	1.15	61.8	73.6	50.5
Afghanistan	8.14	36.3	51.0	20.8
Source: UNESCO 1999 Statistical Year Book (Estimates literacy rates for the year 2000)

LITERACY STATUS IN NINE MOST POPULOUS COUNTRIES

Country	Total Non-literate Population 15+ age	Literacy Rate 15+ (%)
Country	Total Non-literate Population 15+ age	Total	Male	Female
Mexico	5.96	91.0	93.1	89.1
Indonesia	19.24	87.0	91.9	82.1
Brazil	17.91	85.3	85.1	85.4
China	144.96	85.0	92.3	77.4
Nigeria	22.80	64.1	72.3	56.2
India*	NA	58.5	72.3	44.4
Egypt	19.83	55.3	66.6	43.7
Pakistan	51.67	43.3	57.6	27.8
Bangladesh	49.62	40.8	51.7	9.5

* Figures for India are estimated literacy rates on the basis of National Family
Health Survey 1998-99 published in November, 2000

Source: Unesco 1999 Statistical year Book (Estimated literacy rates for the year 2000)

Literacy Scenario as per 2001 Census
The Literacy rate in the country had increased from 18.33% in 1951 to 65.38% in 2001.Thus in five decades, the literacy percentage had grown by 47.05% or by an average of 9.41% per decade. According to the 2001 Census, male literacy was 75.85% and female literacy 54.16%.

Literacy rate as per State/UTs

On the basis of literacy rate, State/UTs can be grouped as under:

High Literacy Rate (80% and above) – Kerala (90.92%), Mizoram (88.49%), Lakshadweep (87.52%), Goa (82.32%), Delhi (81.82%), Chandigarh (81.76%), Pondicherry (81.49%), A & N Islands (81.18%) and Daman & Diu (81.09%).
Literacy Rate above national average (65.4%)_ and below 80% - Maharashtra (77.27%), Himachal Pradesh (77.13%), Tripura (73.66%), Tamil Nadu (73.47), Uttaranchal (72.28%), Gujarat (69.97%), Punjab (69.75%), Sikkim (69.68%), West Bengal (69.22%), Manipur (68.87%), Haryana (68.59%), Nagaland (67.11%) and Karnataka (67.04%).
Literacy Rate below national average (65.4%) – Chhattisgarh(65.18%), Assam (64.28%), Madhya Pradesh (64.11%), Orissa (63.61%), Meghalaya (63.31%), Andhra Pradesh (61.11%), Rajasthan (61.03%), Dadra & Nagar Haveli (60.03%), Uttar Pradesh (57.36%), Arunachal Pradesh (54.74%), Jammu & Kashmir (54.46%), Jharkhand (54.13%) and Bihar (47.53%).

Rural-Urban Gap (Literates) - Census 2001

(In million)
	Persons	Male	Female
All Areas	566.71 (65.20%)	339.91 (75.64%)	226.79 (54.03%)
Rural Areas	366.67 (59.21%)	226.27 (71.18%)	140.39 (46.58%)
Urban Areas	200.03 (80.06%)	113.63 (86.42%)	86.39 (72.99%)

Revised Parameters of the NGO's and State Resource Centres

ITEMS	EARLIER PARAMETERS	PRESENT PARAMETERS
Name	Scheme of Assistance to VAs	NGOs in the feild of education
Classification	Three categories(A,B & C)	Two categories(A&B)
Financial pattern Annual maintenance	Category A-Rs.30 lakh per annum Category B-Rs.25 lakh per annum Category C-Rs.10 lakh per annum	Category A-Rs.60 lakh per annum Category B-Rs.40 lakh per annum
One-time grant	Not existing	Category A-Rs.50 lakh Category B-Rs.40 lakh
Opening of State Resource Centers	As and when required	1999-2000 3 2000-2001 3 2001-2002 4
Sanctioning of VA Projects	Proposel considered by central grant-in-aid committee	Proposals of regional/local NGOs to be considered by respective SLMAs.

Source: http://www.education.nic.in

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