Why in News?

In order to push for adult literacy under the New India Literacy Programme (NILP), the Union Ministry of Education (MoE) has defined "literacy" and what it means to achieve "full literacy" in a letter to all States.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• What is the New India Literacy Programme (NILP)?
• Who is Considered Literate under the NILP?
• Significant Literacy Challenge Faced by India

What is the New India Literacy Programme (NILP)?

• About:
  • ULLAS - Nav Bharat Saksharta Karyakram/ NILP is a centrally sponsored initiative that is launched by the MoE and that aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
  • It was launched (for implementation during 5 years from the FYs 2022-23 to 2026-27) with a financial outlay of Rs.1037.90 crore out of which Rs 700.00 crore is Central share and Rs 337.90 crore is State share.
• Objective: It aims to empower adults aged 15 and above from all backgrounds who missed formal schooling (non-literates), helping them integrate into society and contribute to the nation’s growth.
• Components: The scheme has 5 components:
  • Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN),
  • Critical Life Skills,
  • Vocational Skills Development,
  • Basic Education and
  • Continuing Education.
• The beneficiaries under the scheme:
  • They are identified through door-to-door surveys on Mobile App by the surveyors in the States/UTs.
  • The non-literate can also avail the benefit of the scheme through direct registration from any place through mobile app.
• Other information:
  • The scheme is mainly based on volunteerism for teaching and learning and volunteers can also register through mobile app for this purpose.
  • The scheme is based on technology and implemented predominantly through online mode.
  • The teaching learning material and resources have been made available on the DIKSHA platform of NCERT and can be accessed through the mobile-apps.
  • Further, modes like TV, Radio, Samajik Chetna Kendra, etc., are also to be used for dissemination of FLN.

Who is Considered Literate under the NILP?

• Meaning of literacy: According to the MoE, literacy may be understood as the ability to read, write, and compute with comprehension, i.e., to identify, understand, interpret and create along with critical life skills such as digital literacy, financial literacy, etc.
• Meaning of full literacy: A State/UT achieving 95% literacy may be considered as fully literate.
• How one is declared literate under the NLIP?
  • An individual has been declared literate after taking the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Test (FLNAT).
  • In 2023, 3994563 adult learners appeared for FLNAT exams, out of which 3617303 learners were certified ‘literate.’

Significant Literacy Challenge Faced by India:

• Large number of non-literate individuals: According to the Census 2011, there are 25.76 crore non-literate individuals in the 15 years and above age group.
• Women are more disadvantaged:
  • Out of total non-literate individuals, 9.08 crore are males and 16.68 crore are females.
  • Non-literate individuals face disadvantages in various aspects of life such as
    • Financial transactions,
    • Job applications,
    • Comprehension of media and technology,
    • Understanding of rights and
    • Participation in higher productivity sectors.
  • Ineffectiveness of government initiatives: An estimated 18.12 crore adults in India are still illiterate, despite advancements achieved under the Saakshar Bharat program, which certified 7.64 crore people as literate between 2009–10 and 2017–18.
  • Lower pass percentage in FLNAT exam: While the pass percentage in FLNAT hovered between 89.64% to 91.27% in 2023, in 2024 it has dropped a bit lower to 85.27%.
  • Lower budget allocation: In 2023-24, the allocation for NILP was ₹157 crore, but later it was brought down to ₹100 crore in the revised budget estimate.