In view of COVID-19 pandemic crisis, the Ministry of Education (MoE) observed the International Literacy Day on September 8 as a virtual event with the launch of Padhna Likhna Abhiyan (Reading-Writing Campaign) stating that the observance is needed to be seen as 'an opportunity to reflect on and discuss how innovative and effective pedagogies and teaching methodologies can be used in youth and adult literacy programmes to face the pandemic and beyond.'
Calling the campaign a 'game changer' since it aims 'to provide functional literacy and numeracy to 57 lakh non-literate and non-numerate adults in both rural and urban areas,' he made a call for the following actions to 'eradicate scourge of illiteracy' from the country and achieve 100% literacy target by 2030.
raising public awareness about the significance of literacy
consolidation of the gains made in the area of literacy
sharing and learning from National and International experiences
building cooperation among stakeholders
People wondered, instead of taking the call, he called upon people and societal organization to take action as usual.
Meanwhile, the literacy rates in Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan continued to the lowest in the country with female literacy taking a serious hit.
According to UNESCO, "During Covid-19, in many countries, adult literacy programmes were absent in the initial education response plans, so the majority of adult literacy programmes that did exist were suspended with just a few courses continuing virtually, through TV and radio, or in open air spaces."
UNESCO has raised the following questions to seek answers by the world community.
What has been the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on youth and adult literacy educators and teaching and learning? What are the lessons learnt from the COVID-19 crisis? How can we reimagine adult literacy teaching and learning? How can we position youth and adult literacy in the global and national responses and strategies in the recovery and resilience-building phase?
What are the major innovative and effective pedagogies and teaching methodologies used in youth and adult literacy programmes? How can we take full advantage of technology and scientific research, including cognitive science? What is the role that educators can play in improving pedagogical models and approaches?
What constitutes good practice, including that which is technology-based, and what can we learn from such programmes? How can those effective programmes be scaled up and be integrated into national strategies for sustainability? How can national education policies, systems, governance, and measures (e.g. national qualification framework, recognition, validation, accreditation, and certification of knowledge, skills and competencies) be improved to provide enhanced support for educators for youth and adult literacy?
What are the policy measures required to strengthen pre- and in-service training and support for educators in a ‘professional development continuum’? What mechanisms have been implemented to ensure quality and professionalization? How is technology being harnessed in professional development?
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