Adult Illiteracy A systemic approach to address an endemic problem through effective use of Information

Technology

Kesav V. NoriChief Information Officer

Tata Consultancy Services

Literacy in India: Some Statistics Data Source: 1991 & 2001 Census

• Reading and writing in an Indian Language

• Read at the rate of 30 words a minute

• 13.2% improvement over a decade

• Over 300 Million illiterates• Between 150 and 200

Million adult illiterates0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

80.00%

Persons Males Females

19912001

Literacy Rates in India

National Literacy Mission

Functional literacy

Has the best researched material available in printed form

Attends to the 3 Rs and uses themes to enhance social awareness

Is available in every

Indian Language

Has a consistent underlying philosophy

Needs capable trained teachers deliver instruction by

conventional methods

Government has infrastructure to reach all

of India

Good and dedicated teachers are in short supply

Functional literacy

The focus is on achieving literacy levels as specified by WHO

The teaching program

takes long to administer,

over 200 hours of

instruction

Due to the duration of the

program the chances of

drop outs is high

The expectation is that it could take another fifteen to twenty

years to wipe it out

The progress is slower than desirable

National Literacy Mission

Community Initiatives in the Area of eradicating Adult Illiteracy

Some personal motivations for literacy

… I did not know how to help my children in their studies … I had to seek help in getting directions to get about … now I check their reports, and refuse to sign on them if they are not doing well ...

… we have to sign when we accept money … sometimes we are asked to sign on a blank paper … now I read before committing anything … I can even read movie titles on TV ...

Some personal motivations for literacy

Migrant 1: I do not know how to read (said in Hindi) … it will be good for me to read (said in Telugu) …

Migrant 2: I am a Tamilian. I want to learn to read and write in Telugu

Prerak on the use of computers

I am a prerak. I have been working since ‘95.

Computers have helped … needed individual training earlier, can teach a roomfull now … classes are shorter … more people are coming … they are interested

Experienced student can teach!

I have learned to operate the computer … when the prerak is not here, I can run the class … it does not matter how many there are in the class … we can help ourselves ...

Do we have a role to play?

Functional literacy

Functional literacy

Adopt Systems Approach and Concurrent Engineering Methodology

A concern as widely scoped as Adult Illiteracy needs systemic solutions

Apply IT skills in

applications of relevance and concern Information Technology

IT is a medium whose

applications are only limited

by our imagination

Multimedia based support for training in all Indian

Languages is possible

IT can be used to monitor administration and

management logistics

Reinforce trainers through

multiple aids

Need to relate spoken word to graphic written form

Exploit innate

intelligence and

cognitive capability

Of the 3 Rs, reading is most important

Functional literacy

Adapting from the National Literacy Mission

Material

Deriving advantage from phonetic nature of

Indian language scripts

Do we have a role to play?

A Cognitive Approach

Functional literacy

Adults know the sounds of words and the things they denote in the real world

Their cognitive abilities can be drawn upon to first recognize the written form of the word

They need to connect

between the spoken

sound and the written

graphics

Words are then divided

into syllables which are

spoken and written as a

whole

The alphabet is an end to the means of coping with

unending variety

From syllables we proceed to phonemes and then to

the alphabet

Functional literacy

A Possible SolutionUse the material produced by the National Literacy Mission

Prepare and debug the computer based material through field trials, for each Indian Language

Organize for teaching

reading skills first through cognition of

written words,

syllables and lettersDevelop

technological aids to

facilitate connectedness

for support, monitoring and

control

Do necessary technology development to simplify

coping with variety in Indian Languages

Develop Portals and explore WLL technology

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Play with word, script and sound in Telugu

Telugu CBT for Lesson 1

Classwork

•Tried in over 80 centres

•Over a 1000 adults trained•Participation by TCS, NLM, Government, Andhra Mahila Sabha, District, Mandal and Panchayat bodies•Telugu lessons have been through 4 revisions•Experimentation with Cable TV for delivery

70% success*

Power problems

Equipment problems

Need for monitoring progress

Need for a project office

Need for networking

Need for automation in rendering lessons

*computers as surrogate trainers mitigates the need for a large number of trained and experienced teachers

Experiments with Telugu in Andhra Pradesh in Medak and Guntur Districts

•15-20 students a class•3 days a week•1.5 - 2 hours a day•2 batches a day•4 batches a week•8 - 10 week course•60-80 students a term•6 terms a year•360-480 students p.a.

20,000 habitations

20,000 classroom sites

20,000 computers *

minimum 5 million students p.a.

~15 -20 million students in 3-5 years

*computers as surrogate teachers mitigates the need for a large number of trained and experienced teachers

The size of the problem in Andhra Pradesh ~ a tenth of the Indian problem

Reaching the needy

Standalone computers: 486s*

Wireless local loops: the last mile problem*

Cable television and set top boxes*

Digital broadcast

* two way interaction facilitated

•Training material in every language•Donation of computers •Donation of UPS •Donation of ancillaries•Donation of supplementary material•Communications infrastructure•Training the teachers and trainers•NGOs•Social service bodies •College students•National Literacy Mission•Sustained project management

Logistics of delivery

AcknowledgmentsIdea: Mr. F.C. Kohli

Direction: Prof. P. N. MurthyField Work: Dr. S Ganesh

Production: Dr. M.V. AnathakrishnanProject Management: Maj. Gen. Shively

Technology R&D: K.V. Nori

Thank You

Early performance

Performance at the end of the course

Some can write!

letters and sounds lesson scripts

speech synthesis

enginewallpaper

graphics engine

story boardperformance

monitor

rule based

reasoning

case based

reasoning

computer based learning environmentmultimedia

engine

speech analysis engine

portal for adult literacy services

help desk

demographics

mandal

district

state

nation sex

agencies

government

NGOs

corporations

businesses

trusts

management

lesson

course

site

grouplogistics

course ware

language

trainer training

FAQs

Networking needs

rural exchanges

internet

wireless local loop

technology

literacy training site

literacy training site

literacy training site

literacy training site

literacy training site