INTRODUCTION
The idea of a Learning Society was
first forward by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) in its famous report, titled “Learning to be “. According
to these report, a learning society is one in which all agencies of a society
are educational providers; not just those primary responsibility is education.
Similarly all citizens should be engaged in learning, taking full advantage of
the opportunities provided by the learning society. True to these words, Kerala
has always been a learning society. The educational and social reforms of
Maharajas, the relentless efforts of Christian missionaries, the educational
pursuits of Nair Service Society, the contribution of Sree Narayan Movement and
a galaxy of social reforms laid a strong educational base in Kerala.
India has very rich and long history of
education: education which has been passed on from one generation to the next
of thousands of years in various fields of knowledge. People passed on skills
along with the rigor of knowledge and human values. It was an integrated kind
of an education.
The concept of continuing education, post
literacy or lifelong learning has been embedded in almost all traditional
philosophies. Continuing education is seen as going far beyond what is already
practiced, particularly in the developed countries such as upgrading with
refresher training, retraining and conversion or promotion courses for adults.
It should open up opportunities for learning for all, for many different
purposes.
Education should enable people to develop
awareness of themselves and their environment and encourage them to play their
social roles and work in the community. It should help keep pace with the
development of new knowledge of today particularly in the domain of information
and communication technology. It should help acquire new skills to face global
competitiveness. Therefore, continuing education, post literacy or lifelong learning
will soon become a reality for all people. Lifelong learning means learning
throughout life. It is not confined to childhood or youth but takes place in
mature adulthood as well as in older age. This is a major change from
traditional approaches to education and learning.
ADULT EDUCATION
Adult education is a powerful
auxiliary and an essential incentive to primary education. The concept of adult
education has brought a new hope for adults who could not get opportunity of
receiving education during their school years. Through various programmes and
techniques of social education, the illiterate farmers in the fields, laborers
in the factories and others can be acquainted with the latest developments
taking place in their on fields and thus they can be made happier and useful
citizens who would understand their rights and duties given to them in the
constitution of free India.
Adult education is very much needed to
change the various facets of the life of our adults. It is essential so that
the masses may be trained in various habits to enable them to lead a happier
life. Literacy will provide them opportunities of reading and writing and will
liberate them from the chains of ignorance. Adult education will bring them in
close contact with their community and country’s cultural heritage.
Adult, continuing education and post
literacy is one of the prestigious programmes of University Grants Commission.
In American and European Universities, this programme enjoys much importance
while in Indian Universities; it is struggling to survive within the University
system.
In India the unique style of
interpretation of Adult education is Adult Literacy (3Rs). We are focusing on
Total Literacy, Residual Literacy, post literacy, continuing education etc. The
scope of Adult education is unlimited. In India at the beginning, the priority
was given to adult literacy and it is the time for ‘Mission for Continuing
education’. Adult education is a vibrant, fueled by expanding demand and
interest with broad range of possibilities in both public and private sector.
In Academic Adult Education, being
‘adult’ does not refer to age, but rather the mode of study and the objective
of the students. Adult education within
universities is an open non-formal system of education which is aiming at
complementing and supplementing the requirement of students and community and
contributing to the principles of Lifelong learning.
POST LITERACY
Post
literacy or post literacy education is a concept used in Adult education
programs aimed at recently illiterate or ‘neo-literate’ adults and communities.
Unlike continuing education or further education, which covers secondary or
vocational topics for adult learners, post literacy programs provide skills
which might otherwise be provided in primary education settings. Post literacy
education are programmes which aim to
maintain and enhance basic literacy, numeracy and problem solving skills,
giving individuals sufficient general basic work skills enabling them to
function effectively in their societies. Post literacy programmes are designed
for adults who want to strengthen their literacy skills. They may be
immigrants, slum-dwellers or elderly rural poor.
