How to Remove Mass Illiteracy

Illiteracy of the general mass is one of the major ills from which our country suffers in common with other backward countries. The necessity of giving some education to one and all cannot be disputed. It has been recognised as the birth right of every individual in a free sate. Mass ignorance defeats all attempts at progress and darkness the future of the nation.

Nothing can be pleaded as an excuse for keeping race in a gloomy state of semi-blindness, helplessly groping in the catacomb of ignorance, superstition and fear. The sooner illiteracy is removed the better it will be for the individual and the community at large.

The schools we have at present are for children whose age ranges from 6 to 16. The syllabuses and the curriculum followed in these institutes are cast into a certain pattern and designed to prepare boys and girls for higher bacademic education in different lines. These schools can be of no practical use for mass, the vast majority of whom are grown up men and women. Therefore, a new set of schools have to be introduced for giving education to these people. These may be called schools for adults.

We have to keep within view vcertain facts regarding these education certres. Our population being very large, the number of these schools will have to be proportionately considerable-at least one in each locality of three or four villages. The adult education centres cannot aspire to have grand school buildings, and that is needless too. These schools will aim at imparting some elementary enlightenment along with a little better knowledge of the vocation the learners pursue. The subject-matters and also yhe method of teaching in adult schools will differ greatly from those of ordinary schools. As most adults are busy earning their bread in the daytime, it will be convenient for them to attend schools if classes are taken at night.

In this country only ba small minarity of children get the opportunity of attending schools regularly. Number of schools in the villages fall far short of what in should be. The existing schools are in such a deplorable condition that they beggar description. So a staggering number of school-going children stand in need of some facilities for rudimentary education. To that end compulsory and free primary schools should be started to accommodate these neglected future citizens of the country.

Mass literacy should never be confined to the three R's. It must also aim at making the learners useful and capable of applying the new acquisition to the earning of their bread. Efforts should, therefore, be made to teach them some trade and to that end every adult education centre should be so planned and equipped as to be able to impart a large variety of vocational trainings. Thousands of our illiterate people are unemployed because they have neither any land to cultivate nor any finished knowledge of the arts crafts. If such people can be taught various handicrafts, such as weaving, carpentry, smithery, vaning as also trained in the handiling of small machinery, their unemployment problem will be considerably solved. Over and above, mass education centres should take special care to impart knowledge of scientific agriculture, of health and sanitation and also give the learners some sort of civic training so as to make them fit for good citizenship. The arrangement of imparting instruction shall be as usual, like other schools. There will be salaried teachers and students shall attend a regular course of training given free of cost. To make the programme of mass literacy successful, it is, therefore, essential to keep in view the question of removing of the current appalling poverty of the masses.