Towards 100% Adult Literacy

1. Towards 100% Adult Literacy Battling a Scourge

2. In the Age of Information Reading is a fundamental skill • Provides access to vast storehouse of knowledge • Is on the path to acquisition of the other basic skills like wRiting and aRithmetic, given good self-instructional material • Is at the crux of self-development

3. Scourge • Over 200 million adult illiterates in India • Spread of literacy and population growth are at par with each other – leading to near stagnation in wiping out adult illiteracy • The National Literacy Mission has shown the will, the Government has the infrastructure, the NGOs are keen – but the logistics seem to outweigh the the effort

4. Technology to the aid • The need to complement and supplement tools • Technology is useful only when it is a multiplier • Technology is useful only when it enhances performance and establishes uniform quality • Is not an end in itself – it is a human problem that we deal with

5. Not by Tools Alone • Need commensurate investment to battle the problem • Need willing and able hands • Need processes and infrastructure • Need quality control and assurance • Need management to achieve goals • Need value to drive the vision and mission

6. No Silver Bullet • One size or kind does not fit all • Need an arsenal to cope with problems of variety and scale • Information and Communication Technologies provide a ray of hope.

7. TCS experiments – a beginning • Builds into the National Literacy Mission’s programme and supplements and complements it • Uses computers to propagate reading skills in 40 hours of instruction over 8 to 10 weeks • Multiplies a teachers ability to scale up in numbers • Lowers the entry barrier for experience in teachers • Gets neo literates to be self motivated and independent in their efforts to learn further

8. Total number of current operational centres – 212 Total number of adults who have learned to read during Feb-May 2002 –2618 Current active batches, due to complete between July and September – 1874 Drop outs - 549 Current success rate – 89% Expectations Number of Centres by end June – 415 Scale up: between 8,000 to 10,000 to be addressed by these centres Current Status in Guntur District

9. Learning from the experiment • Technology multiplier and quality enhancer effects in evidence in best sites • Class management is one source of failing to get the most out of technology • Lack of effective learning environment at many sites is another failing • Inadequate use of resources, lack of motivation to absorb change are the factors in the worst cases • Monitoring remote sites and their facilitation requires logistics in excess of current efforts

10. Current preparedness • Tamil CBFL deployed • Hindi, Bengali and Marathi CBFL available but not fully tested • Push and Pull versions experimented with • Manual Development

11. Imminent directions • Speech recognition and synthesis to be used • Automation in converting scripts to CBT presentations • Enhancing the learning environment • Networking of remote sites Portal to be built

12. For each language State Resource Centres have their material (3+1 primers) Scripts for teaching reading skills to be prepared from the material of these primers – 2 person months Dry runs to appreciate the dynamics of the lessons – 1 person month About 22-24 lessons cover the primers Production of CBFL material 12 person months to produce the Macromedia Flash based CBTs 2 – 3 calendar months to experiment with and revise the material – 6 person month effort Can be done in 4-5 calendar months and 2 person year effort Needs professional voices for good quality CBTs – is expensive 5-6 technical people over 5-6 months An Assessment of Effort

13. Languages The Hindi Belt Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Rajasthani The Eastern Region Bengali, Oriya, Assamese The Southern Region Tamil, (Telugu, Kannada), Malyalam The Northern Region Punjabi, Haryanvi, Urdu? Computers 2 Million computers over 5 years inclusive of replacements Pentium 1 and up, 16-32 MB, 3-10GB HDD, Multimedia, CD, networking is optional UPS, SpikeGuard, … Logistics in sourcing, checking, packaging, shipping, customs, unpacking, forwarding, installing, maintaining, retiring, disposing safely The road ahead

14. Government State Resource Centres State Literacy Mission Secretariat IT Secretary Secretary for Education District Collectors Municipal Commissioners Directors of Literacy Programmes Continuing Education Centres Preraks Collaborators NGOs Rotarians, Lions Club Ramakrishna Mission, Chinmaya Mission, Sathya Sai Baba Trusts, … Political Parties Education institutions Corporate Bodies Chambers of Commerce Industry associations The road ahead

15. The road ahead • We are moving beyond the proving stage • It is a national problem and has to be viewed as a national project • There is a need for an umbrella organization that has the goodwill to provide the networking and the glue to hold it together • There is a need for seeding the financing needed to engage in the battle against this scourge

16. Thank You