GS Paper 2:
Topics Covered- Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.
Context:
The Union of India has approved a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, namely, “New India Literacy Programme (NILP)”.
- The NILP has been approved for the next five financial years (2022-27) in order to integrate all the aspects of adult education with the National Education Policy, 2020 (NEP).
- The Education ministry has chosen to use ‘Education for All’ rather than ‘Adult Education,’ since the previous terminology was not applicable to non-literates aged 15 and above.
Objectives:
It aims to support the States and Union Territories in promoting literacy among non-literates in the age group of 15 and above.
Coverage:
It will cover across the country covering 5 crore non-literates during the implementation period from 2022-23 to 2026-27.
Funding:
The scheme has been approved with a financial outlay of Rs.1037.90 crore including Central share of Rs.700.00 crore and State share of Rs.337.90 crore.
The scheme has five components namely:
- Foundational Literacy and Numeracy.
- Critical Life Skills.
- Vocational Skills Development.
- Basic Education.
- Continuing Education.
The salient features of the NILP are:
- Involvement of school students, pre-service students of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), school teachers, Anganwadi and ASHA workers.
- School to be unit for implementation of the scheme.
- Use of ICT and online implementation of the scheme through ‘Online Teaching Learning and Assessment System’ (OTLAS) material and resources through digital modes, viz, TV, radio, cell phone-based free/open-source Apps/portals, etc.
Implementation:
- The scheme will be implemented through volunteerism through online mode.
- The training, orientation, workshops of volunteers, may be organized through face-to-face mode. All material and resources shall be provided digitally.
- School will be Unit for implementation of the scheme.
- Schools to be used for conducting surveys of beneficiaries and Voluntary Teachers.
Need for:
- As per Census 2011, the absolute number of non-literates of the country in 15 years and above age group is 25.76 crore (Male 9.08 crore, Female 16.68 crore).
- Also, in consideration of the progress of persons certified as literates being to the tune of 7.64 crore under the Saakshar Bharat programme implemented during 2009-10 to 2017-18, it is estimated that currently around 18.12 crore adults are still non-literate in India.
Sources: PIB.
