adult illiteracy a systemic approach to address an endemic problem through effective use of...
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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