Government approves New India Literacy Programme

The Ministry of Education (MoE) approved a new scheme “New India Literacy Programme” for the next five years to cover all the aspects of adult education to align with the new National Education Policy (NEP). The ministry has also decided to use “Education For All” instead of “Adult Education” as the previous term did not appropriately represent all non-literates in the 15 years and above age group.

Objective

The objectives of the scheme is to impart not only foundational literacy and numeracy but also to cover other components which are necessary for a citizen of 21st century such as critical life skills including financial literacy, digital literacy, commercial skills, health care and awareness, child care and education, and family welfare); vocational skills development with a view towards obtaining local employment); basic education including preparatory, middle, and secondary stage equivalency.

Highlights

1. Implementation:  The scheme will be implemented through volunteerism through online mode. The training, orientation, workshops of volunteers, maybe organized in face-to-face mod.
2. All material and resources shall be provided digitally for easy access to registered volunteers through easily accessible digital modes like TV, radio, cell phone-based free, open-source apps and portals.
3. The scheme will cover non-literates of the age of 15 years and above in all state and union territories.
4. Program outlay for 2022-27:  For 2022-27, the total anticipated outlay for the “New India Literacy Programme” is Rs 1037.90 crore, which comprises a central contribution of Rs 700 crore and a state portion of Rs 337.90 crore.  While states and union territories will be given flexibility to pursue creative activities, schools will serve as the scheme’s implementation unit and will be utilised to perform beneficiary and volunteer teacher surveys.
5. The target of this scheme: The target for Foundational Literacy and Numeracy for FY 2022-27 is five crore learners using the Online Teaching, Learning, and Assessment System (OTLAS), which was developed in collaboration with NCERT, the National Informatics Centre, and NIOS and allows a learner to register with essential information such as date of birth, name, Aadhaar number, gender and mobile number.