Right to Education starts from Right to Literacy

As 2015 deadline for achievement of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) approaches, governments and international donors would be counting their progress around the world. Of all the MDGs, the easiest to achieve seemed to be the one related to literacy—at least, that was the hope in 2000. The progress on literacy has been slowest in South Asia, and within the region, in India. It is amazing to see Bangladesh and Nepal accelerating ahead on achievements in literacy levels, specially for women. Essentially, therefore, this MDG on literacy is unlikely to be achieved by 2015 if India doesnât achieve it.

And, by all accounts, India is unlikely to achieve significant reductions in illiteracy rates that presently officially stand at more than a third of the adult (15 years of age and above) population of the country, estimated at 300 million adults. This doesnât include another 15% (additional 200 million adults) who are functionally illiterate (and at best know how to sign their names). Why this entrenched illiteracy continues unabated? Who are these illiterates? A vast proportion of these illiterates continue to be tribals (indigenous folks—about 80 million), scheduled caste (about 150 million), muslims (nearly 50 million). These populations have been systematically excluded from access to education; their children do not go to primary schools, and if they do, they drop out after grade one, and lapse into illiteracy. Girls and women from these communities constitute the majority of illiterates.

This structural entrenchment of illiteracy has been the case for the past six decades since independence, and much longer before. Nothing seems to have changed significantly? Why is it so?

The primary reason for this is that literacy and adult education are seen as ‘second-classâ educational path by Indian policy-makers. There has been no serious investment to eradicate illiteracy, nor to ensure complete stoppage of drop-outs from primary schooling. Letâs take a historical view of the literacy programming in India.

During the struggle for independence, Mahatma Gandhi promoted literacy classes; many innovative and effective models of literacy education evolved in different contexts—Gujarat, Bengal, Bihar, Tamilnadu were exemplary. Keralaâs library movement was way ahead anyways.

Despite constitutional commitments, the then Congress government in Delhi didnât pay much attention to literacy during the first 30 years of independence. It was assumed that demand for literacy in rural areas was rather weak, and the poor can not afford time to study. Then came the ‘revolutionaryâ Janata Party government in Delhi in 1977, and it launched the first comprehensive nation-wide literacy programme—National Adult Education Programme (NAEP) in 1978. The programme caught the imagination of adult educators and social activists, and a movement towards conscientisation and functional literacy restarted in the country. However, this programme had hardly run for 18 months when the ‘newâ Congress government under Mrs Indira Gandhi shut down the programme in July 1980 ( a month after it came to power) by sending telegrams to all implementers.

When late Rajiv Gandhi came to power, and his advisor Mr Sam Pitroda led several Missions, a National Literacy Mission was launched in 1989. Centre-based approach to adult education was abandoned in favour of literacy campaigns (based on the successful—from 80 to 93 percentage—Alleppey campaign in Kerala). Volunteer instructors were ‘invitedâ to join this mass movement (all of which were led by District Collectors).

In its zest for economic reforms, the next Congress government ignored literacy in particular, and education in general. The Jomtien conference on Education For All in April 1990 had re-galvanised the international community to invest in education. However, Indian policy-makers shifted their priorities to primary education by mid 1990s, partly due to ‘investmentsâ from such international actors as DFID and World Bank. Once again, literacy was abandoned from the priority of public policies. As a result, by the end of 1990s, almost the entire institutional infrastructure of literacy and adult education in the public sector and voluntary sector had stagnated and somewhat degenerated. State Resource Centres were starved of resources and vision; level of literacy activity at the ground had become invisible.

It took a full first decade of the twenty-first century for the present Congress leadership to ‘recallâ the significance of literacy again. So, amidst much fanfare in the corridors of now famous ‘Vigyan Bhawanâ in posh Delhi, the Honâble Prime Minister launched “Sakshara Bharat (literate India)” programme on September 8, 2009. What has been the progress on account of literacy since then? What additional and substantive resources have been invested in this programme?

It took the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, six months to appoint an Expert Committee (on March 30, 2010) to draft National Curriculum Framework for Adult Education. The Expert Committee took one year to prepare the Report, which has been only recently discussed. There is no clarity as to when such National Curriculum will be accepted by the government, let alone when it will be implemented on the ground.

It is this callousness and apathy towards literacy that contributes to continued entrenchment of illiteracy in Indian society. The NAEP framework is still fully relevant; there is no further need to set up time-consuming committees; adult education and life-long learning perspectives can inform literacy and post-literacy work; centres for adult education need to be an integral part of Indiaâs educational infrastructure; these centres can focus on literacy and continuing education for all adults in both rural and urban areas; municipalities and panchayats can coordinate and support them; they can be run by other educational institutions and voluntary organisations. But, public funding of such centres has to be ensured in sufficient amount and on a consistent and ongoing basis; vagaries of political fetish should not be allowed to destroy this educational scaffolding. Democratic Germany in Europe and Communist China in Asia have both recognized the critical significance of such centres for literacy and life-long learning.
When will India be ready?

Rajesh Tandon
July 14, 2011