Some Observations on Hindi Literacy Materials

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The observations are based on primary adult teaching material prepared by three different agencies. The review of these books is in terms of content, language and environmental problems.

Content

The material aims at achieving simultaneously the duel objectives of making the adult illiterate literate and health and hygiene etc. But in no book an equilibrium is struck between these two objectives. The latter is gives more importance. The result is that, language part is badly neglected. The lessons underestimate the farmers' knowledge about his profession and therefore can create only repulsion to the porgramme.

Example :

JÉÉnù ºÉä JÉÉäiÉ +‡lÉ Eò ={ÉVÉÉ>ð ½þÉäiÉÉ ½èþ*
+‡vÉEò ={ÉVÉ näùxÉä ´ÉɱÉä ¤ÉÉäVÉ ±ÉÉä‡VÉB*
¤É®úºÉÉiÉ ºÉä {ɽþ±Éä JÉÉäiÉ EòÉä VÉÉä‡VÉB*
¤ÉÉäVÉ Eò<Ç iÉ®ú½þ Eäò ½þÉäiÉä ½éþ*
{ÉÉxÉÉä fø±ÉÉxÉ EòÒ +Éè®ú ¤É½þiÉÉ ½èþ*
MÉÉªÉ ºÉä ½þ¨Éå nÚùvÉ +Éè®ú ¤Éä±É ‡¨É±ÉiÉä ½éþ*

Many of these examples are repeated several times. The picture presented in these books is either of a poverty stricken farmer, or one, at whose disposal are laid all services including Banking and modern agricultural implements. In one of the books, throughout, an attempt is made to associate happiness with increased money power which can justifiably be questioned.

Example :

¯û{ɪÉÉå EòÉä fäø®ú ±ÉMÉÉ+Éä*
¨ÉCEòÉ ºÉä vÉxÉ Eò¨ÉÉ+Éä*
¡ò±ÉÉå ºÉä vÉxÉ Eò¨ÉÉ+Éä*

More attention should be given to the values and changes in value judgements, instead of including him to acquire more and more money.
Every where he is asked to use modern equipment without realizing whether these equipments are within the farmers; reach or not. It will be preferable to advocate the technology that is within his reach. Similarly the use of concepts such as percentage, centi-meters, sq. unit area etc., should be avoided for the farmers are not familiar with them and instead of that, familiar local indigenous concepts be made use of.

Some of the ideas are quite contradictory in these books. At many places ideas are not arranged in a sequential order.

As far as teaching of language is concerned, it is not given due attention. The method adopted is either selected word method or sentence method. Because of this, letter are introduced at random without proper selection and gradation. IT has resulted in many odd sentences. For instance, sentences in the first few lessons of ' one of the books ' are without copula verb '½äþ' This is because '½äþ' is introduced quite late.

There is no enough reinforcement for the letters taught in these books. Some words are written with two spellings in the same lesson like vÉÉäJÉÉ, vÉÉä JÉÉ, <EòºÉÉ®ú, BEòºÉÉ®ú

In one of the books matras of = , >ð are used below the letter ®ú while introducing ¯û °ü

A single sound has two graphemic representation in the same book.

Words too, are not selected properly. Plenty of highly Sanskritized and Persian words are used.

Example :
B䇽þEò, ‡"ɇlɱÉ, "ÉÉävÉ, IÉä¨É, IÉÉä¦É, iɨÉ. BäªÉÉ®ú, MÉ¡ò±ÉiÉ

Many of the words are out of context.

Sentences are long and at place ungrammatical besides being ambiguous if not meaningless.

Example :
nù´ÉÉ ºÉä ={ÉSÉɇ®ú iÉ JÉäiÉ EòÒ JÉ®ú{ÉiÉ´ÉÉ®ú EòÉä 80 ‡nùxÉ iÉEòVÉÉxÉ´É®úÉå
EòÉä xɽþÓ Eò®úxÉÉ SÉɇ½þB*
<xÉEòÉä ‡EòºÉÒ ¦ÉÒ iÉ®ú½þ {Éä]õ ¨Éå VÉÉxÉä näùxÉÉ JÉiÉ®úxÉÉEò ½èþ*
<ºÉ‡±ÉB iÉɇEò ´Éä ¤ÉɱÉEòÉå Eäò ºÉÉlÉ xÉ +É VÉɪÉå…

In most of the books, very little provision is made for evaluation of learning. And wherever it is given, its utility is quite doubtful.

Environmental problems

Adult literacy programmes are group and area specific. As such no single book written in the standard variety would serve the purpose. The uniqueness of the geographical, sociocultural, including language / dialectal and economic problems of the areas concerned, cannot be taken care of, if the same book is prescribed for the farmers all over India irrespective of whether they are engaged in dry farming or wet farming. If the material presented pertains to their environment then, not only will it be useful but it will help to establish a rapport with the lesson and makes learning an interesting and useful exercise.