Kerala State Literacy Mission; Making Great Strides Towards Nava Keralam

UNESCO has decided to observe September 8 as the World Literacy Day from 1965 onwards. The objective of celebrating the World Literacy Day is to underline the need and importance of literacy for all across the globe. With this, UNESCO also puts forward the aim of mobilising public interest and support in literacy activities as well. Literacy activities in Kerala have been a huge success and serves as a model to the world. It has also contributed immensely to the gains that the state has made in the formal and non-formal education sectors too . We have been able to ensure such proud achievements in the educational sector because we have been able to take it up and implement it with popular support. Even as emphasis is given on digital literacy towards the formation of a New Kerala, the literacy movement in Kerala is still embracing letters and numbers. And this is the message that UNESCO seeks to convey on the World Literacy Day 2023. The meaning of literacy changes over time and according to the needs of the respective societies. While in the past the goal of literacy was to learn the alphabet, the focus remains on digital literacy in today’s world driven by technology. But the decision taken by UNESCO in 1965 is to celebrate Literacy Day until there is at least one illiterate left in the world. Kerala can take heart from the progress of its education sector because these decisions are being implemented and continued as part of a socially progressive programme.

What we can understand from this is that each and every idea that Kerala picks up and initiates goes on to become a model for the whole world. Kerala is also moving forward with the vision that not even a trace of illiteracy should be left even while emphasizing on digital literacy to build a knowledge society. As a part of this, the Kerala State Literacy Mission has launched a new digital literacy scheme along with implementation of various literacy programmes. In order to make the remaining group of illiterates literate, the Literacy Mission is undertaking and implementing the New India Literacy Program , besides a host of other social literacy projects such as Pauradhwani and Munnetam.As part of its digital literacy initiative, the Mission is also implementing a programme titled `E-Muttam’. While the New India Literacy Program aims to wipe out illiteracy to the last strain, the E-Mutam project aims to bridge the digital divide and ensure the delivery of government services to the entire population. Kerala is aiming to achieve complete digital literacy by the upcoming Kerala Piravi Day (day of the state’s formation) . The E- Muttam project, launched by the Literacy Mission to achieve this, is being implemented efficiently in the districts.

Although women are at the forefront of educational, political and social spheres of the kerala society, violence against women and denial of their rights have not been eradicated completely even today. The inequality experienced by women in workplaces, public places and even at their homes have come in the way of their growth and progress. It is in the backdrop that the Kerala State Literacy Mission and the Kerala Mahila Samakhya Society have jointly launched a project called “Munnetam” with the aim of empowering women. In addition to it, a project called Gender Literacy is being implemented as a social awareness program to develop gender awareness. Yet another project, HOPE, is being implemented in association with Kerala Police by including children who have passed 7th standard and are not able to continue their studies. As many as 35 children have enrolled in the 10th standard equivalency course under the scheme. Meanwhile, the Changathi scheme launched for making literate workers migrated from other states has completed three phases. The project is currently being implemented on a massive scale across the Palakkad district, where a huge number of these non-state workers are located. Along with this, a Complete Tribal Literacy Project is being implemented in the tribal settlements of Attapadi in Palakkad District, besides the Wayanad Tribal Literacy Project in Wayanad District. The Nava Chetana project, which aims at eradicating illiteracy across the Scheduled Caste colonies, is progressing without much hiccups. Along with this, the literacy mission has been able to conduct equivalency courses from 4th standard to higher secondary in a prompt manner. Over and above ensuring that no drop outs are taking place in the field of education, the Literacy Mission is giving an equal thrust to both formal and informal education sectors. At a time when it has commenced efforts towards transforming the state into a New Kerala (Nava Keralam), the agency is also making significant efforts to take together different types of people in the informal education sector.