Lok Sabha Question No. 819 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-02-07
Subject: Adult Education under New Education Policy
Ministry: Education
Asked by: Vishnu Dayal Ram

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 819 TO BE ANSWERED ON 07.02.2022

## ADULT EDUCATION UNDER NEW EDUCATION POLICY

819. SHRI VISHNU DAYAL RAM: Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state: (a) the details of adult education envisaged under the New Education Policy (NEP); (b) the details of infrastructure deemed necessary for promoting adult education; (c) the vision of the Government to achieve 100 percent universal literacy in the country; and (d) if so, details of the plans to achieve universal literacy in the country?

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

## ANSWER (DR. SUBHAS SARKAR)

(a) The National Education Policy 2020 (NEP) envisaged in Para 21.4 regarding 'Adult Education  and  Lifelong  Learning'  that  'Strong  and  innovative  government  initiatives  for adult  education  -  in  particular,  to  facilitate  community  involvement  and  the  smooth  and beneficial integration of technology - will be affected as soon as possible to expedite this allimportant aim of achieving 100% literacy'.

- (b) The NEP envisaged suitable infrastructure for adult education and lifelong learning. A key initiative in this direction is to use schools/ school complexes after school hours and on weekends  and  public  library  spaces  for  adult  education  courses  which  are  ICT-equipped when possible and for other community engagement and enrichment activities. The sharing of infrastructure for school, higher, adult, and vocational education, and for other community and  volunteer  activities,  is  critical  for  ensuring  efficient  use  of  both  physical  and  human resources.

(c)  &  (d)  In  order  to  achieve  universal  literacy,  the  Department  of  School  Education  and Literacy  has  launched  the  Samagra  Shiksha  -  an  Integrated  Scheme  for  School  Education, throughout  the  country  as  a  Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme  with  effect  from  Financial  Year 2018-19.  This  programme  subsumes  the  three  erstwhile  Centrally  Sponsored  Schemes  of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education (TE). It is an overarching programme for the school  education sector extending from pre-school to class XII and aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education at all  levels  of  school  education.    It  envisages  the  'school'  as  a  continuum  from  pre-school, primary, upper primary, secondary to senior secondary levels. The States/UTs are assisted by the  central  government  to  implement  the  Samagra  Shiksha  as  a  programme  for  providing universal access and retention, bridging the gender and social category gaps in education and enhancement of learning level of children at all levels of school education.

In order to improve literacy rate, a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Adult Education namely Saakshar Bharat was implemented in the rural areas of 404 districts in 26 States and one  UT,  that  had  adult  female  literacy  rate  of  50  percent  and  below  as  per  Census  2001, including  left  wing  extremism  affected  districts,  irrespective  of  their  literacy  rates,  with special focus on women and other disadvantaged groups, since October 2009. The scheme was  extended  upto  31.03.2019.  During  the  implementation  of  Saakshar  Bharat  scheme, against the overall target of making 7 crore adult non-literates as literates, around 7.64 crore learners, having passed the biannual Basic Literacy Assessment Tests conducted by National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) between August, 2010 to March, 2018, were certified as literates.  Further,  a  new  Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme  of  Adult  Education  'Padhna  Likhna Abhiyaan'  is  being  implemented  in  rural  and  urban  areas  of  33  states/  UTs  during  the financial year 2020-21, with a target of making 48.16 lakh adult non-literates as literates. The scheme has been further extended upto 31.03.2022.

As per the recommendations of NEP 2020, the National Centre for Literacy (NCL) has been established in National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) for development  of  adult education  curriculum  framework  which  includes  five  types of programmes, each with clearly defined outcomes: (i) foundational literacy and numeracy; (ii) critical life skills (including financial literacy, digital literacy, commercial skills, health care and  awareness,  child  care  and education, and  family  welfare);  (iii)  vocational skills development  (with  a  view  towards  obtaining  local  employment);  (iv)  basic  education (including  preparatory,  middle,  and  secondary  stage  equivalency);  and  (v)  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).