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The
decision to launch a massive programme for the liquidation of illiteracy is perhaps
not entirely new; in important ways it is a reiteration of some earlier official
resolutions. What is somewhat new is the centre's determination to "wage
a clearly-conceived, well-planned and relentless struggle" to cover a vast
segment of our population 100 million in the age-group 15-35, "as far as
possible", in five years, and more importantly, to make "elaborate preparations",
in five years, and more importantly, to make "elaborate preparations"
before launching such a massive programme. The field of adult education is littered
with disastrous defeats; planning and preparation should help us avoid another.
The policy statement on Adult Education (Government of India, 1978) also shows
an awareness of the main factors that led to failures in the past: "Identification
and motivation of the instructors, preparation of curriculum and teaching/learning
materials and training have been the main areas of deficiency in adult education
programmes in the past. A satisfactory level of preparedness in these areas must
be reached before the programme is to be launched2". Some of the measures
to remove these areas of deficieecy are enumerated as are some of the specific
remedies to known problems.
The question that we have tried to partially answer in this paper is similar to
the one raised in the 'policy statement'. It is this: "What are some of the
essential preliminaries to the design of successful curricula and materials for
adult literacy"? In working towards our partial answer we have concentrated
on only those aspects where our experiencees understanding suggest areas that
have either escaped the notice of the policy makers or those that have hitherto
received insufficient attention.
The most important factor to reckon with in the massive programme that is being
launched barely three months from now is the avowed need to involve numerous agencies,
both Central and State, both public and private, both official and voluntary.
This need is basic largely because the size of the operation is so enormous that
unless it has the support of all possible agencies, its chances of success within
five, or even twice five, years are small indeed. An inevitable consequence of
this multiple-agency involvement has to be grasped however. It is that the maintenance
of anything like minimum professional standards is going to require Herculean
efforts. And unless steps are immediately taken to guarantee these minimum standards,
the damage done through present neglect may be difficult to undo in the next five
years.
An essential
preliminary to the design of curricula and the preparation and use of instructional
materials is a clear understanding of the goal "What is it that we are trying
to do in producing literacy"? and of the ways to achieving it. "How
best can we guarantee that we come nearest to achieving it"? Our belief encounters
with people who are going to be directly involved in leadership roles suggest
that in many cases neither question has been asked or answered. A few examples
should illustrate some aspects of this experience:
i) For several years now a few universities have been doing some spadework under
the rubric of contining, non-formal or adult education. Te main emphasis has been
on short-term professional courses on the one hand and high-level
research
(not always related to either the enormous needs or the difficult circumstances
of the operation) on the other. Some of this work ought to come in handy in the
programmes that are ahead of us.
But adult literacy porgrammes require help from many more universities and much
greater involvement on the part of all of them. A number of universities ave therefore
begun to gear themselves to the challenge of adult literacy. The
UGC has
also recently sought the universities, assistance in making the programmme a success.
What do the universities, especially, those that have not hitherto participated
in it, think of the nature of their involvement? We got two answers from two heads
of universities. The first one knew that centres had to be opened for 30 adults
to give them functional literacy. He also knew that the classes would meet either
an hour a day or two hours every alternate day and that the instructor would be
paid Rs. 50/- per month. Beyond this he knew little-'who could do it,' "how
one could judge the end-product', 'what additional resources would be needed in
terms of
curricula or materials,' 'what training would precede the organization
of a course'-these were not raised. There was sufficient goodwill and great enthusiasm
but there did not seem to be any great anxiety about the means to reach the target.
The
second one was even more committed : the university was planning to send out senior
and more active students to nearby villages to educate them. Transport facility
would be made available and some allowances would be a briefing session just before
the volunteers, most of them on the look out for jobs, and all of them being new
to such a task, would set out for the fields of operation. The main task for the
promoters would be to give pep talks at the beginning and at regular intervals
to enthuse the volunteers and to buck up the ones who felt inevitably disheartened.
Once again there were no known curricula or instructional materials.
The
two answers together led us to a sad reminiscence. About 30 years ago the State
of Jammu and Kashmir, where we then lived, began some pioneering efforts in adult
literacy under the inspiring stewardship of the late K.G.Saiyidain, the State's
Directors of Public Instruction. The compaign, which began in earnest and, in
its earlier phases, produced some impressive statistics thus inspiring much hope
and fervour, had to be called off before it would end up as a farce. Towards its
end it became known that literacy could become a source to quick money for some
of its practitioners. What some of them did was to produce the minimm ability,
i.e. an illiterate person who could sin his name, to earn them a rupee. Making
a person literate could thus take less than an hour and the reward a rupee
per
person-was immediately available.Is there a lesson in this and can something be
done now to make sure that such
that such a thing does not happen again ?
The least one could ask for is a clear statement of the aims and of the universitie's
programmes to reach them.
ii) For a second look at the phenomenon, we put ourselves a question : 'How many
and what sort of agencies have become involved in adult education programmes (in
a broad sense of the term) in our country ?' To answer this questions is difficult
since no single book provides all the information. But we got hold of one, relatively
recent work, on one State. The book, a publication of 1975, is an authentic document
on Tamil Nadu's work in this field based on an extensive survey conducted by the
the State's Board of Continuing Education. The report entitled 'Towards a functional
learning society'3 includes a comprehensive view of the of the work being done
by the different agencies, both governmental and non-governmental that are responsible
for adult and non-formal education in that
State. It presents a picture which
its distinguished Chairman, Dr.Malcolm, S. Adiseshiah, rightly calls "both
impressive and indicative".
Adiseshiah
explains the two adjectives-'impressive' and 'indicative' by referring' in the
one cases, to the wide cross-section of people who thus receive education of various
types and, in the other case, to the major task that lie ahead, i.e., "the
twin-objectives of poverty-eradication and self-reliance". In confirmation
of what he terms impressive we should like to add that even the incomplete survey
showed that 5.68 lakhs had received some sort of education under 134 on-going
schemes that the Group was able to bring into the survey. Adiseshiah also, and
once again rightly, counts the many blessings of such widespread use of non-formal
education as well as exposing a few of its glaring defects.
For
our purposes the results of the survey add another point to the argument of this
paper, that adult education/literacy, being in the hands of a large number of
agencies, each ploughing its lonely furrow, is not always part of an organized
system. Its strength may be the growing commitment of the various agencies
(which are likely to pro-liferate through central munificence) and their dedicated
workers, its growing weakness must lie in the lack of dialogue among the
disparate
agencies and the absence of any common standards or measuring instruments. Under
such circumstances there is bound to be necessary duplication,unequal performance
and uncoordinated effort.
The
two main points made above (in sections i and ii) add up to one obvious generalization-that
in the face of tasks which are no less gigantic and demanding than the challenges
of the total system of formal education from the kindergarten to the university
in this country, there is at present little beyond amateur pottering and adhocism
in the field of adult learning, There is also very little forward planning, little
research and hardly any concern for even minimal standards.
iii)
Our third point brings us nearer to the soil-a study of the actual curricula and
the materials for adult literacy. These too vary. Over the years several pioneering
efforts have been made in different parts of the country to prepare primers and
other materials and these, we are told, have been of these require scholarly scrutiny
and some of these may have seminal ideas for wider use. Meanwhile there is a point
that appears to be basic to most such materials here or elsewhere in the world.
Most adult literacy materials have been and are based on the belief that illiteracy
is an evil which has to be removed to save our great democracy. This universal
belief rests in what Paul O Freire (in his 'Cultural Action for Freedom' (1970)
calls the 'digestive concept of knowledge,' a concept wherein illiterates are
considered to be 'undernourished' and illiteracy is conceived to be 'undernourished'
and illiteracy is conceived of "as a 'poison herb' intoxicating and debilitating
persons who cannot read or write"4. Freire further explains this concept
of knowledge as something that is suggested by 'controlled readings'; by clauses
which consist only in lectures, by the use of memorized dialogues in language
learning, by bibliographical notes which indicate not only the chapter but also
the lines and words that are to be read, by the methods of evaluating the students'
'progress in learning.'
This
concept of knowledge grows in part from a genuine concern for those of our fellew
citizens who, because they cannot read and write, suffer a lot through exploitation
and usury. It shows compassion and understanding and ought, at least in theory,
be an asset in the tasks that lie ahead of us in the field of adult literacy.
In practice however this view is also based on a misunderstanding which Gandhiji,
perhaps, alone among our educationists, wanted to correct. For Gandhiji, our villager,
though illiterate, was by no means ignorant; illiteracy may be a deficiency but
it is not a disease that calls for cure. Our villager lacks the ways of the world
in which things other than what he inherits matter much more than those that he
does. So he requires to be brought up-to-date in the goings on of the 'civilized'
world. What is needed here is that those of us who are lettered should enter into
a dialogue with those who are not. In this 'living' dialogue there is bound to
be a lot of give and take which should become the staple of the contents part
(the themes and subject matter) of the literacy materials.
The
digestive concept of knowledge (or what Freire also calls the ' nutritionist '
view of knowledge on the other hand rests in the belief that the millions are
' starving for letters ' and ' thirsty for words ' and that the word must be brought
to them to save them from 'hunger' and ' thirst '. It leads in these words : "In
accepting the illiterate as a person who exists on the fringe of society, we are
led to view him as a sort of ' sick man ' for whom literacy would be the 'medicine
' to cure him, enabling him to ' return '- to the healthy structure from which
he has become separated. Educators would be benevolent coundellors, securing the
outskirts of the city for the stubborn illiterates, runaways from the good life,
to restore them to the forsaken bosom of happiness by giving them the gift of
the word5".
Even
a cursory glance at some of the premers that are used today and that perhaps grow
from this misunderstanding shows that they aim at ' depositing ' literacy and
therefore use words which do not represent an authentic expression of the adult
learner's world. The words, which have often to be memorized fail to hang together
beyond the isolated sentences they are fitted into. Worst still, they represent
language, not genuine communication, vocabulary but not thougt ; they often separate
the forms of words from the deeds they are meant to perform in the world of the
learner. Such books naturally fail to produce the desire to learn or, even where
the motivation exists before the learner begins to decipher words, they fail to
sustain his interest. At their worst they become instruments for unteaching ;
they kill the desire for learning.
A
different but related point on instructional materials can be made if one looks
at the instructional materials that are in use for language instruction in our
formal system. These materials which, in a majority of cases, are produced by
language teaching experts often show a bias that must preclude the possibilities
of the learner's empathy with the world inside the textbook. This is because they
build a world that is far too removed from his own-his home, his way of life,
his surroundings. One sees it in any first or second year book where the chief
character (hero of the book) belongs to a family which owns a chauffeur-driven
car, celebrates birthdays with cakes and candles and displays is equally possible
in adult-level materials which build a middle-class world and its idiom and thus
alienate or humble the outsider. Some of this has been noticed even at the Open
University of Britain which greatly plans its courses and trains its instructors.
In a critique of it we read that at times the language used by the teachers makes
no concession to the limitations of vocabulary of the more learners who operate
a ' restricted code ', the learners have to depend on a dictionary or to give
up. Many do the latter ; they find the world of letters way beyond their reach.
Much more of this must happen in the much less planned Courses that are taught
by largely untrained adult literacy practioners.
iv) In each of the points (i-iii above) over focus was on a possible deficiency
or on an
impediment to the introduction of professionalism in adult literacy
curricula and materials. But there is a positive aspect to our plea which is outlined
in the rest of this paper.
Our
formal system of teaching suffers from a number of imperfections, or even perversions,
which at times make the processes of learning difficult and the acquisition of
knowledge or skills an arduous undertaking. An essential part of a successful
strategy for adult literacy programmes is to deliberately stay away from any such
counterproductive practice, be it part of materials or of methodology.
There
is, on the other hand, an equally harmful opposite attitude which too has the
support of many an ardent advocate of reformed curricula. This attitude rests
in the belief that what we need in successful adult education programmes is to
avoid any transfer of strategies or devices from the formal system. Whereas the
advocates of no-change seek to replicate what exists in formal schooling, those
who seek radical reform appear to ask for a total neglect of even the proven best
in the formal system. Some even advocate a parallel supporting-system of research
and innovation for adult education as though in the belief that the reinvention
of the wheel is necessary for its use in every new machine.
In
our view the main object of a useful adult education strategy should be to reduce
adhocism and to infuse as much as possible of professionalism into this field.
Two basic supporting systems for this should be a) to incorporate the best that
is available in the formal system into adult literacy/education programmes and
b) to institute a small number of curricular and instructional-materials resource
centres to make sure that the best from such adaptations as also the innovations
within the system is made available to every part of the field. Some of what we
say below should, as well as illustrating this point, prove of direct relevance
to any programme of adult literacy.
iv/a) As for as adult literacy is concerned, we still seem to lack a dependable
answer to the question 'What is literacy ? ' It is perhaps well known that to
be fully literate one has not only to gain literacy but also to be able to retain
it. But the unanswered question still remains-at what stage can the gains be retained
and the dangers of a relapse into illiteracy be successfully combated?
A
number of attempts at defining retainable literacy exist in the growing literature
on the subject. The simpler ones refer to literacy in specific, functional contexts,
i.e., for fully specified adult tasks, occupational or individual. In more recent
literature there are attempts at a further specification in terms of the sub-tasks
(e.g., functional literacy for reading requirements). These require further defence
and research support ; some of them smack of the present variety of scientism.
Less
scientific but of more immediate use are definitions in terms of the support materials
for use in the adult literacy programmes. A UNESCO report, for example, recommends,
among other things, ten copies of daily newspapers, five radio sets, two cinema-seats
and two television receivers for very 100 persons. Similarly the recent Ministry
of Education booklet on the subject says that a group of experts came to to the
conclusion that the per learner cost would be Rs. 55/- although it does not specify
the break up of the expenditure between training and materials. It however also
provides " approximately 20 percent of the total expenditure for this purpose
" for follow-up and continuing education of neo-literates.
A
dependable definition of fully literate person is still a task for researchers.
As far as the abilities in reading are concerned, one reasonably safe assumption
might be that the take-off stage for reading should be identical for children
and adults alike. If this is so, there might be helpful hints in successful reading
programmes organized under the formal system. The elements of language that guarantee
the minimum essential reading habits for self-learning should also be common to
the formal and the non-formal system. Here then is an area of common interests
between the two systems and the formal system should help arrive at an answer.
iv/b) The formal system, despite its many imperfections, has also had a long experience
(often fruitfull) in its search for tools and devices that contribute to better
teaching and learning. As far the reading/writing parts of the literacy strategy
are concerned, the following points are illustrative of the possibilities for
effective transfer from the teaching of language in the early stages at school
to the teaching of literacy outside the formal system. Few of these require longt-erm
research or a great deal of adaptation in their use with adults.
iv/c) Of the most productive elements in current English language teaching strategy
one is economy. It is based on the belief that no course given within such limitations
of time and resources should attemet to neglect the priorities including a concentration
on the most frequent, the most productive and the most central parts of the language
and of communication in it. More than half a century of work stands behind the
products that are now in general use.
In
English language teaching it is, for example, a platitude to say that a small
number of carefully selected words can, in any particular sphere, replace a many
times larger number of unselected words. More specifically there exist 'foundation
vocabularies', 'island vocabularies' and 'special purpose vocabularies'.
The
straight adaptation of some of these vocabularies might not work since there are
difference of age, needs and learning situations. But there are clear possibilities
of adaptation as also of parallel short-term research. By using some of the current
approaches to the preparation of specific purpose word lists (e.g., the French
disponibilite studies), it should be possible to prepare good lists within very
short periods, only a few days in fact. Economics of a similar nature and use
should be available for other aspects of course design also.
iv/d In a related producers of instructional materials have done even better,
showing results which by all accounts are impressive. Today it is possible to
write very readable materials within as few as 200 or fewer words. Most books
of fiction and most non-technical writings can be rewritten within 2,000 words.
It has also been found that of these words the first 1,000 constitute about 85
percent of ordinary prose, and the first 3,000 incorporate almost the whole of
non-stylized writing.
Work
of this nature demands a lot of understanding of the process of simplification
and a high degree of competence as a writer. But most of it come from training
and effort and much of it can be transferred over a period of time.
An important
offshoot of this may be a strategy under which abridged and simplified materials
written in one language, say English or Hindi, could be translated into all other
languages. The curricular resources centres (of which there should be 4-6 in the
different regions) could make the design and preparation of such materials an
important focus of their activities. One of the greatest needs of an effective
programme for retainable literacy is, in our view, the availability of a graded
' book corner ' in every adult literacy determine the success of the programme.
The formal system's modest success in this area too should inspire some good work
in adult literacy programmes, provided attempts are made to understand its nature
and to carefully emulate its products.
iv/e) There are other aspects of the formal system where too despite imperfections
and failures, the achievements are by no means inconsequential. Work on the age-placement
of instructional materials (based on the 'mental age' of the book), on course
design in different areas of English for special purposes or for the varied needs
of sciencec, commerce and technology, on self-instrucmental materials, on reading
and writing materials for higher-order skills is a part of the success story.
Space will not allow us to dilate upon any of these in this paper. All we can
say is that there are things that require, if not total, at least cautions acceptance
and adaptation. The formal system has a lot to offer to a carefully planned and
professionally organized system of adult education.
In
sum it has been our main argument in this paper that the national adult education
programme, through based on a lot of thinking and impressive central planning,
is perhaps as yet somewhat deficient in at least two ways : at the operational
level it lacks professionalism which is basic to a programme of such magnitude
and in most of its functional aspects it lacks system-it does not yet possess
the minimum necessary infrastructure. We have suggested the need to infuse professionalism
and, in this connection, pleaded for studied and thoughtful borrowings, or adaptations
from the formal system. Without going into the details of their functions, we
have also argued for regional (or national) resources centres for the preparation
of curricula and the design of materials for field try-outs and for perfecting
the products to make them both teacher-proof and learner-proof. Undelying a lot
of this work there is also a major question of attitudes-that of who is being
taught what, Adult literacy materials must be based on " profound love for
the world and for men "7 (Freire 1972), on a Gandhian view of the Indian
farmer and on an insightful understanding of what is involved in teaching an adult
who aften sees no reason to give up his simple world for ours. Our instructional
materials have to create bridges to literacy and thereby towards a learning society.
Making such materials does require a lot of team work, with linguists, subject-matter
specialists and educational technologies working together, each group contributing
their special mite to this unprecedented enterprise. The tasks here are immense
since no open society has ever attempted to give so much to so many in such a
short period of time, but the opportunities are equally big.
1.
See ' Adult Education : A Policy Statement ' in National Adult Education Programme,
Ministry of Education and Social Welfare, Govt. of India, 1978, p.21
2.
Ibid, p. 23
3. See Towards
A Functional Learning Society, The Tamil Nadu Board of Continuing Education, Madras
1975.
4. Freire, Paulo
: Cultural Action for Freedom, Penguin, 1970, p. 23.
5.
Ibid, p. 28
6. See National
Adult Education Programme, op. cit, p. 19.
7.
Freire, Paulo : Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Penguin 1972.