The Aim and Objectives of Total Literacy Mission

GANGTOK, 15 July: The Primers for teaching Adult Learners has now reached all the BAC’s of East and South Districts. The concerned BDOs, ADs and the AEOs of HRD Department are requested to visit the Adult Learning Centers falling under their BACs, states a press release.
The programme was launched by the Chief Minister on 15 August 2010 to make Sikkim a 100% literate state by 2015. Panchayat Education Assistants were trained at Karfectar with the co-operation of RM&DD and SIRD in various phases.

The progress was slow in teaching the adults due to non-supply of books but now the books are available in all the BACs and the concerned PEA can collect them for quick progress, the release informs. The Primers are designed in a manner that takes into consideration the time constraints of adult students who are between the ages of 15 to 50 years.
The first primer is to be completed within 200 hours and the second primer is to be completed in 100 hrs. The National Institute of open School system (NIOS) will provide Equivalency Programme in the context of neo- literate adults, and also lend the system of recognition, accreditation, assessment and certification of prior learning providing an equivalency dimension vis-a-vis the formal education system would help to nurture further up-gradation in the skill knowledge area of prior learning.
The main aim of Total Literacy Mission is to impart knowledge of reading, writing and arithmetic to non-literate adults. Applying for job cards seeking work, opening bank accounts and being able to read job card, etc have created an unprecedented demand among these workers for becoming literates. If organized properly along their needs, the process of learning to read and write could be integrated with their daily life as workers under MGNREGA .
Work supervisors having necessary competence and qualification can be trained for imparting functional literacy to these workers. For Sikkim the books are written in four languages i.e. Nepali, Bhutia, Lepcha and Limboo since these four languages are the languages taught mostly in all the schools of Sikkim, the release further mentions. Therefore, the National Literacy Mission wing of HRDD developed books for the learners accordingly.
There is a thirst for learning English amongst the adult learners in various Adult Learning Centres which will be started soon after the completion of 1st and Bridge primers when the Adult Education Center starts functioning.
The Total Literacy Mission is designed according to the system of Saakshar Bharat Mission 2012. Therefore, emphasis is laid on making learners comfortable in their own languages before they start learning English, the release adds.
The State Literacy Mission Authority requests all the District Collectors, District Development Officers, Joint Directors of HRDD, BDO’s, AD’s and AEO’s and the Panchayat Pradhans to extend their valuable help to remove illiteracy from Sikkim. Ministers, MLAs and the literate group may also come forward to extend their help in this mission. Vidha Dhan Maha Dhan Yagna.