Over 22.7 lakh learners between the age of 15 to 80 took part in a foundational literacy test conducted by the Centre earlier this month. The Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Test, the first of its kind, is to declare adults literates if they pass the test. With 9.25 lakh candidates, Madhya Pradesh had the highest number of candidates with over 5 lakh women candidates. The government is also incentivising school and college-going students to volunteer to teach adult learners.
The ministry of education held the exam March 19 this year across 10 states and UTs to assess “basic reading, writing and numeracy skills”. Under this programme, non-literates above the age of 15 years are targeted, with a focus on women as well as educationally backward states.
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The test focuses on foundational literacy, numeracy, critical life skills, vocational skills, etc. Ministry officials said that the population of non-literates in the country is between 15-20 crore, and the government’s target is to add to that by 1 crore every year.
The scheme is to be implemented through volunteer teachers from the community, students of schools and higher education institutions and teacher education institutions. To this end, the University Grants Commission had asked all vice-chancellors of universities and principals of all colleges on January 27 this year for a credits system for volunteers, and that volunteer work should be made mandatory for students of teacher training institutes. Ministry officials said that for every five learners that a volunteer teaches, they should be awarded 2 credits.
In Madhya Madhesh, over 9,25,854 learners appeared, with 5,91,421 female and 3,34,433 male candidates from all the state’s 52 districts; the government said its initial target was 5,35,000 learners. In Jhabua, a tribal district, 58,470 took the test, including a groom who sat through the exam before his wedding.
Apart from that 5,48,352 learners, including 3,98,418 female and 1,49,934 male candidates took the test in Rajasthan across the state’s 33 districts, while in Tamil Nadu 5,28,416 learners appeared, including 4,36,020 female and 92,371 male candidates. In TN, 25 transgender candidates from 13 districts also sat through the exam. In Uttar Pradesh, 1,46,055 learners appeared in the test from all 75 districts while in Ladakh, 7,366 learners sat in the exam hall.
The test was conducted in states like Odisha (44,702 candidates), Jharkhand (48,691), Punjab (10,013), Meghalaya (3000) and Chandigarh (2,596).