GUWAHATI, Aug 26 � It was not in the distant past when adult literacy was considered synonymous with �signature literacy� that enabled a late starter to write his name in the bills, letters etc., instead of thumb imprint.
Things, however, are on the verge of change as non-formal education being imparted to the adults and the school drop-outs is being linked with higher education, where the sky is the limit for those who missed a chance for getting formal education in the schools.
An overwhelming number of participants in the exams conducted under the National Literacy Mission by the National Institute of Open School (NIOS) in Darrang, Sonitpur, Karbi Anglong, Bongaigaon and Dhemaji have encouraged the State Resource Centre (SRC), Assam, providing technical support to organisations dealing with literacy campaign, to raise the issue of conducting all phases of the examinations in Assamese and other local languages instead of Hindi and English in the Northeast region.
The SRC, which is sponsored by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, would place this demand in the curriculum framework meeting organized by the National Literacy Mission Authority (NLMA) in Kolkata on August 27, Devadutta Borkotoki, director of SRC told The Assam Tribune.
The examination by NIOS, under the Sakshar Bharat campaign, is designed to link non-formal education with the higher education to encourage the neo-literates towards a more meaningful literacy, which is not confined to general literacy. The candidates who would pass this exam would be given a Class II passed certificate to carry out further education. Similar examinations would be conducted for the pass certificates of Class III, V, VIII, X, and XII, that would be acceptable in any recognized university or institution, where the willing candidate can pursue higher education.
�Non-formal education was confined to two or three books till now where limited education was being imparted. With this system coming into being the neo-literates including the school drop-out would have access to university level education, just like any other student getting formal schooling,� Borkotoki said.
�Since the first phase exam was conducted in 11 regional languages, including Assamese, Manipuri and Bengali, we are optimistic that our demand of considering the local situation and regional languages for the higher phases would also be accepted,� he added.
�Against the expectation of 10,000 candidates, around 17,000 candidates turned up for the examinations in the five districts. Shortly, the same examination would be conducted in seven other districts of Dhubri, Kokrajhar, Barpeta, Goalpara, Morigaon, Tinsukia and Hailakandi,� said Surajit Kalita, programme officer of Jana Sikshan Sansthan, Kamrup, a sister concern of the SRC.
In Darrang district, more than 4,924 candidates appeared whereas in Sonitpur the number was 4,600. Though being a disturbed area, Karbi Anglong witnessed 580 candidates and in Bongaingaon and Dhemaji, 2,980 and 3,986 candidates appeared respectively. The SRC helped NIOS in holding the examinations.
