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On the occasion of International Literacy Day (September 8), PRIAâs Continuing Education Unit organised a Seminar on âLifelong Learning & The Challenge of Human Development in India Todayâ. Prof Rajashekharan Pillai, Vice-Chancellor of Indira Gandhi National Open University, delivered the special address at PRIA (see www.priaeducation.org for details).
On this occasion, the Government of India announced a new programme of making India literateââSakshar Bharatâ, and focused on raising womenâ literacy rate from less than 60% at present to above 80% in 3 years. Yes, you heard it rightâmere 3 years.
The âresurrectionâ of literacy programmes in India (as elsewhere) now is taking place after a decade of official and donor neglect. After the momentum of International Literacy Year 1990, literacy gradually lost out to primary education in competition for resources from national and international public authorities. National Literacy Mission in India had almost breathed its last by the turn of the 21st century.
With recently held UNESCO conference on Higher Education, and the somewhat late recognition of the significance of Higher Education in developing countries, Indian government has also started making ambitious announcements to increase the supply of higher education.
Indian parliament passed a new legislation on âRight To Educationâlast month. So, more attention is being focused on primary education again
The problem inherent in such wavering of attention of policy-makers and donors is an absence of a coherent framework of âlifelong learningâ. We need national policies on Lifelong Education which organically integrate pre-school, school, secondary, post-secondary, skills & vocational, tertiary, post-tertiary and third-age learning opportunities in a coherent manner. Only then a comprehensive attention to the needs of the entire population (instead of segmented approach now) would be possible.
India needs urgently âRight to Lifelong Learningâ and a National Commission on Lifelong Education (to replace the outdated CABEâCentral Advisory Board on Education).
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