Community Education: A Systematic Programme for Adult Education.

Overview & Synopsis

Efforts at education for all in India began with the expansion of the night school concept in the late 1800s. The government took responsibility for adult education in 1937. With independence came general acceptance of the broader concept of adult education. Despite literacy efforts through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, the number of illiterate people continued to rise. An effort is currently underway to involve college students and teachers in the eradication of illiteracy. In the universities, five agencies have set directly or indirectly the goal of meeting the needs of community education and development. Incentives for students and attempts to link adult education with the undergraduate curriculum have been undertaken. A remedy is proposed which involves developing a systematic program for adult education within the university system. A nonformal education stream would permit a person to enroll at any age and learn at his/her own pace. The community school and community college would offer an education program designed to meet community needs. University extension work would involve extending resources to the community. College agency activities would be coordinated. The role of colleges would be to define the workload of the teacher in extension, adopt a geographical area in which to work, form a community education committee with community members, support teacher study of the work, offer higher level courses, and operate community colleges as needed. (YLB)