Literacy Programme : Burdwan District

	Literacy Programme	Monthly News Magazine For Neo-Literates 6th Year, Vol.XI

Moments to Remember :-

Burdwan has the distinction of becoming the Second Fully Literate District in the country in achieving NLM literacy norm for 82.2% of the targeted illiterate population. The declaration was made at a special ceremony held in Burdwan by His Excellency, the Vice President of India Dr. Sankardayal Sharma. The TLC Campaign was launched on 26 th September, 1990 with 1200143 identified illiterates in the age group of 9 to 50, identified as per survey completed on 20/8/90.

Burdwan continued its campaign through different phases of Post Literacy Programme. The major objectives of all these phases was to reinforce and consolidate the literacy skill of the learners and to prepare them to become self-reliant Learners. During the Post Literacy Phases, new features had been added to the literacy programme by making attempts towards integration of development with literacy and by introducing quality of life improvement components. Promotion of target specific activities, interest in Art and Culture was also made an important feature of the Post Literacy Programme. During Jana Sikshan Nilayam phase all these programmes were adopted and an attempt was made to build up a small library with books for neo-literates at all the centres. It will be worth mentioning that, during different phases of Post Literacy Programme, Campaign was made to make those illiterate learners literate who could not achieve it during TLC. It is also mentioned that during Post Literacy Phases both Internal and External Evaluations were done by External Experts.

Basic informations on TLC / PLC

Age Group	Male	Female	Total	SC	ST
TARGET LEARNERS IN TOTAL LITERACY CAMPAIGN
9-14	81027	89976	171003	92735	23073
14+	465934	563206	1029140	563582	163340
TOTAL	546961	653182	1200143	656317	186413

Age Group	Male	Female	Total	SC	ST
PERSONS MADE LITERATE THROUGH TOTAL LITERACY CAMPAIGN
9-14	66379	72982	139361	85313	20865
14+	387596	459867	857463	404632	113551
TOTAL	453975	532849	986824	489945	134416

Age Group	Male	Female	Total	SC	ST
TARGET LITERATES IN POST TOTAL LITERACY CAMPAIGN
9-14	81027	89976	171003	92735	23073
14+	465934	563206	1029140	563582	163340
TOTAL	546961	653182	1200143	656317	186413

Category	Male	Female	Total	SC	ST
ACHIEVEMENT IN POST TOTAL LITERACY CAMPAIGN
Persons made literate (i.e. No. of Neo-literate)	57217	44677	101894	55027	16294
Learners who upgraded their skill	303356	342083	645439	354991	103273
TOTAL	360573	386760	747333	410018	119567

Category	Male	Female	Total	SC	ST
NO. OF NEO-LITERATES FROM T.L.C. AND P.L.C.
Through T.L.C.	453975	532849	986824	489945	134416
Through P.L.C.	57217	44677	101894	55027	16294
TOTAL	511192	577526	1088718	544972	150710

Continuing Education Programme in Bardhaman District :-

The district is now implementing Continuing Education Programme for the Neo-Literate and drop out learners. The programme was launched on 30th May 1997. There are at the present 2000 Continuing Education Centres (CEC) of which 250 centres are Nodal Continuing Education Centres (NCEC). Of the 1750 CECs, four centres are run by different NGOs.

The instructors of these Continuing Education Centres who are known as Mukhya Preraks and Preraks have undergone training at regular intervals. During trainings BZSS took help from SRC for Adult Education, WB and WBSLMA.

1. Block Municipality and NGO wise break up of CECs/NCECs (Click here)

2. Reshuffling process of CECs and NCECs is going on. So far report received.

Preraks / Saha Preraks	Number of Personnel Engaged
Preraks / Saha Preraks	Male	Female	Total
Prerak	1219	475	1694
Saha Prerak	842	706	1548

3. Total Enrolment in NCECs and CECs at present :-

Male	Female	Total	SC	ST
758390	372884	1131274	473332	112657

4. Activities followed at NCECs and CECs :-

Core Activities

In all the CE centres a few core activities like strengthening of literacy skill with the help of primars published by SRC, Library Services, Discussion in the Groups are conducted regularly. Indoor games and Musical exercises are also conducted according to the suitability of the learners.

Target Specific Activities

Four Target Specific Programme had been conceptualized by the National Literacy Mission in the Scheme. These are Equivalency Education Programme, Income Generating Programme, Quality of Life Improvement Programme and Individial Interest Promotion Programme.
B.Z.S.S constituted 4 Task Forces consisting of experts in the district to guide in adopting different types of Target Specific Activities. Accordingly different programme had been implemented so far and these programmes had helped in keeping the learners under the Programme vibrant with activities.

Equivalency Education Programme launched for the learners of Continuing Education Centres :-

This is one of the most important Target Specific Programme under CE Scheme. An innovative programme had been conceived by the BZSS and implemented in close collaboration with District Primary School Council and District Inspector of Schools (Primary Education), Burdwan.

Under this Programme all willing Male & Female Neo-Literates and School Dropout of the centres who will Register their names for this course will be eligible to be placed under guided learning to reach Class-II or Class-III or Class-IV standard of Formal Primary Education. Age is no bar. The guided learning would be provided by either working or retired Primary School Teachers who are residents of the village where the centre is situated. The guide teachers had been trained and a guide manual had been prepared by BZSS with the help of experts. The Registered Learners would undergo guided learning for a period scheduled for achieving each of the standards. Formal Primary Text Books had been provided also to each of the centres. The Final Evaluation to be conducted by the Resource persons of District Primary School Council and District Inspector of Schools (Primary Education) Burdwan. The successful learners would be awarded grades and certificates in recognisation of the learning achievement to be issued jointly by Secretary, Burdwan Zilla Saksharata Samiti & Chairman, District Primary School Council, Burdwan.

Earlier a pilot project was implemented in five Blocks and one Corporation area for Neo-Literate learners and School Dropouts of Nodal Continuing Education Centres only. During implementation of the programme 1308 Number of Learners Registered their names and after final evaluation it was found that 79 learners received Grade-A, 433 Grade-B, 274 Grade-C and 36 Learners Grade D.

This experience of implementation of the programme enthused BZSS to launch the above programme in 11 Block areas of the District. The Blocks are (1) Memari-II (2) Memari-I (3) Burdwan-I (4) Burdwan-II (5) Jamuria (6) Ketugram-I, (7) (8) Ausgram-I (9) Ausgram-II (10) Katwa-I (11) Jamalpur.

A very good response was noted and Neo-Literate and School Dropout started Registering their names for the course after paying Rs. 2 each as registration fee. The Blocks with the help of Circle SI of Schools had identified the Primary School Teachers who were residents of the villages where the centre was located. These teachers were trained on the use of Guide Book specially designed for the Programme. Near about 10,000 No. of learners who registered their names were primarily tested by the Guide Teachers in order to divide them in groups for the Standards II, III or IV for which the learners were suitable. The District Literacy Cell constantly monitored the Programme and held meetings at the Blocks for the Guide Teachers and for the Preraks in presence of SI of Schools of the circles. Besides this the teachers take internal evaluations and took corrective measures.

Finally Evaluation of the learners for Class II, III and IV standards were held on the evaluation paper prepared by the Resource Person of District Primary School Council and DI of Schools Primary. The evaluation were conducted by a team of Primary School Teachers under the leadership of SI of Schools of each of the Block. The Evaluation papers were scrutinized by the same team centrally at the Block Head Quarters and on the basis of achievement made by the learners grades were awarded.

RESULTS

The BZSS had taken steps to award certificates to each of the successful learners in recognisation of their ahievement.

Formation of Self Help Groups with the Neo-Literate Learners of CECs and NCECs under Income Generating Programme:-

This Programme was undertaken by the BZSS in the end of 1998 in consultation with NABARD, Gramin Banks and other Nationalized Banks. The Scheme was evolved and circulated. A special workshop was held with the Mukhya Preraks and heads of NABARD, Gramin Banks, Nationalized Banks, DRDA and others. This workshop was held in presence and active participation of the Savadhipati, Burdwan Zilla Parishad and the District Magistrate, Burdwan.

The scheme envisaged to form Self Help Groups with the learners of CEC and to arrange to opening of Accounts with the Banks. Around 992 such groups had been formed and all of them had opened Accounts of the groups with the Local Banks where the group members are depositing their Savings regularly. It had been expected that such groups would undertake economic activities in order to improve their income level as well as such groups could become more efficient to counter different social evils in the locality.

In order to improve their leadership qualities and to train them in Population Education special Workshop had been held in two Blocks of the district i.e. Ausgram-II and Jamalpur with the resource support from SRC West Bengal

With the launching of SGSY Scheme under DRDC (erstwhile DRDA) in the year 2001, many learners had also been included in those groups. They had also opened Bank Accounts and taken up economic activities.

In order to improve these activities training programme participated by Mukhya Preraks, Block Co-ordinators and Extension Officers Mass Education, Govt. of WB had been held in each of the 6 Sub-Divisions of the district during 1st week of March, 2005 with resource support from DRDC Burdwan, NABARD and SRC West Bengal.

Activities under Quality of Life Improvement Programme :-

The Preraks are trying to motivate the learners to have low cost sanitary privy in their households. The reports so far received indicate good performance.
All the Mukhya Preraks and Preraks have been associated with activities relating to implementation of Sarva Siksha Abhiyan in their locality. Mukhya Preraks / Preraks are members of Village Level Education and Health Committees. They are participating in holding Survey to find children who are eligible to join Primary Schools and are motivating their guardians to see that the wards of the learners are admitted into Primary Schools. These steps had yielded good results.
The Mukhya Preraks and Preraks are taking keen interest to successfully implements Pulse Polio Programme.
A special Health Awareness Programme on HIV/AIDS with special emphasis on adolescent education being implemented in 10 CECs & 1 NCECs of two Blocks and one Municipal Areas under Asansol Sub-Division of the District as a Pilot Project with the sponsorship from State Resource Centre, West Bengal.
A special Health Awareness Programme on HIV/AIDS with special emphasis on adolescent education had been implemented in 10 CECs & 1 NCECs of two Blocks and one Municipal Areas under Asansol Sub-Division of the District as a Pilot Project with the sponsorship from State Resource Centre, West Bengal.

Individual Interest Promotion Programme :-

With the help of Games and Sports equipments and Musical instruments provided with the centres the learners who like these activities are regularly practicing at the centres. Each year BZSS organises Sports and Cultural Competition for the learners from the GP to District Level and subsequently the District Level team participates in the State Level Sports and Cultural Competition. The participants of Burdwan District had already shown their excellence in the State Level Competition by becoming champion in several year.

Books and Equipments at Continuing Education Centres :-

Each CEC and NCEC have been provided with equipments like Almirah, Wooden racks, Black Boards, Maps, Charts etc Primers in Bengali/ Hindi/ Urdu have been supplied. More than 600 kinds of library books have been supplied to each centres. Handouts on various subjects viz Small Savings, Legal Aid, Provident Fund for Agricultural Labour, Gram Sansad, Child Labour etc as prepared by BZSS have also been supplied. Different types of musical instruments games materials for use of the learners have been provided with sitting mats & steel trunks for preservation of records. A monthly journal �KhabaraKhabar� is regularly published by BZSS and are sent to CEC for use of learners. Recently 145 Nos. of Books for Neo-Literates had been purchased for each of CE Centres of the District and will be distributed shortly. Besides this Primers for the Residual Illiterates, Library Books, different Teaching & Learning Materials are being procured for the Centres.

District Resource Unit (DRU) :-

District Resource Unit (DRU) is working under the BZSS for the past 12 years being sanctioned by the Govt. of India. The Unit provides resource support in both Non-Formal & Adult Education activities. The unit also provides training to preraks , and other functionaries and help in the preparation of books & hand outs as published by BZSS. The monthly news magazine �Khabarakhabar� is prepared by the unit. The expertise of the DRU personnel are also utilised by other agencies like Sishu Sramik Kalyan Parishad, Sishu Siksha Prakalpa and Sarba Siksha Abhiyan. DRU has also been assigned a responsibility of undertaking an independent Survey on randomly selected 400 F.P. School & 100 S.S.Ks of the District and submit a report on the status of infrastructural facilities, sanitary arrangement and on the steps taken for improvement of quality of instruction etc. A comprehensive report prepared and furnished.

Satyen Maitra Memorial National Literacy Award :-

Dr. Subrata Gupta, Dist. Magistrate, Burdwan and Prof. Saidul Haque, Chairman, District Primary School Council received on behalf of Burdwan Zilla Saksharata Samiti "Satyen Maitra Memorial Literacy Award" from Dr. Murii MonoharJoshi, Minister of Human Resource Certificate

Development, Govt. of India at the National Function on 8^th September at Bigyan Bhavan, New Delhi. Honorable Speaker ofLok Sabha Sri Monohar Joshi presided over the National Function.

"Satyen Maitra Memorial Literacy Award" was instituted by the National Literacy Mission in the year 1996 after the demise of Revered Adult Educationalist Lt. Satyen Maitra to recognise the outstanding performance in the implementation of Literacy Programme by Zilla Saksharata Samities. The award is given on the occasion of International Literacy Day every year to a District in the country selected on the basis of certain criteria fixed by National Literacy Mission and on the recommendation of Expert Committee.

Burdwan is the First District in the Eastern Region to receive this prestigious award. The award comprises of a Trophy and a Citation. A photograph is given.

Future Plan :-

The BZSS had implemented all the Programme keeping the Spirit of the Project to the extent of fund available as per the sanctioned amount received from Govt. of India. On receipt of the 1^st instalment of the 4^th year grant BZSS proposes to give stress on the following activities besides the basic activities on the CE Programme.

BZSS desires to cover all the identified backward villages of the District with the CE Centres after completion of the Evaluation of the CE Programme.
Vocational Training on different vocations keeping in view the needs expressed by the Learners. For this a detailed project had been submitted to the Govt. However discussions are going on with different Dev. Deptts like Agriculture, Horticulture, Fishery & Agricultural marketing Deptt. at the District Level. The local Community Polytechnics & Rural Technology Centre under Burdwan University are also being consulted.
Since till all the Residual Illiterates had not been covered under Eradication of Residual Illiteracy Programme, BZSS desires to undertake special drive for creating Awareness amongst such persons specially amongst women.
Steps are being taken for formation of more Self Help Groups under Income Generating Programme.
An extensive training programme for all the Preraks, Saha Preraks, Mukhya Preraks and Panchayat and Municipal Level Functionaries would be undertaken.
BZSS desires to extend Special Health Awareness Programme with special stress on HIV/ AIDS Awareness and Adolescent Education in collaboration with SRC, West Bengal.

Source : Literacy Cell, Burdwan Collectorate.

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