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Source: The post is based on the article “Back to school: 22.7 lakh adults sit for literacy and numeracy skills exams this year” published in The Hindu on 31st March 2023
What is the News?
22.7 lakh adults from 10 states and union territories in India became qualified as literate adults in 2022-23 by passing an assessment test conducted under New India Literacy Program(NLIP).
More than 40% of the aspirant candidates were from Madhya Pradesh alone.
What is the New India Literacy Program(NLIP)?
Volunteer driven programme:
NILP has been allocated ₹150 crore for 2022-23 of which nearly ₹80 crore was released to the States to kickstart the scheme.
However, this budget does not include funds to hire teachers, meaning that the entire scheme is volunteer-driven.
To bridge this gap, the Education Ministry encourages students and teachers to volunteer their time to teach adults. As an incentive for college students, a credit-based framework is being put in place with the help of the University Grants Commission.
What is the significance of the NLIP Scheme?
NLIP is the first government scheme that covers the missing age group of 15 to 18-year-old children who are at risk of dropping out of school.
The Right To Education covers children till 14 years and adult literacy programmes target persons over 18 years.
