The Total Literacy Campaign in Kerala

Dr Pamela Clayton

Department of Adult and Continuing Education

University of Glasgow

www.gla.ac.uk/kerala

God’s Own Country Population (2001): 31.84 million

Area: 38,863 square kilometres

Population density: 819 per sq km (cf UK,

234)

Language: Malayalam (96%) (English is also

an official language)

Main religions: Hindu 60%; Muslim 22%;

Christian 18%

Image by courtesy of Wikipedia

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 Malayalam

Human Development and Physical Quality of Life indicators

Kerala India
Birth rate per thousand 18 29
Infant mortality 13 80
Sex ratio females to males 1058 933
Life expectancy 73/4 61
Adult literacy (overstated – probably 80/85) 91 65
Children 5-14 in school % 97 73
Per capita GDP ($) 1000 1200

Main source: 2001 Census of India

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 Terminology

Illiterate Someone who cannot read or write in any

language – not someone who is ‘stupid’

State Administrative division of India – states have

their own governments but it is not a federal
system and all are subject to Indian law

District Kerala has 14 administrative Districts

Panchayat Local government level below District

(excludes municipalities). Panchayats are
divided into wards.

KSSP Kerala Shastra Sahitya Parishad (People’s

Science Movement)

KANFED Kerala Association for Non-Formal Education

and Development

Two adult literacy campaigns in Kerala

Both
Age range: open to all but great majority older people who had not been able to attend school
– nearly all women and very poor
Teaching method: based on the needs of each learner, using people’s own lives as teaching
material
Preparation: house-to-house survey
Publicity level: very high – no-one could avoid knowing about the campaigns
Tutors: volunteers trained by the KSSP – mainly young women from poor districts
Other NGO involved: KANFED

People’s Education and Literacy Campaign, Kottayam (PELCK), 1989

Aim: Total literacy in one municipality – pilot test for main campaign
Target numbers: about 2,000 (very small percentage – Kottayam already the most literate
town in India) – participation in effect compulsory
Period: 100 days followed by six months consolidation period
Results: judged a complete success

Literacy Campaign in Ernakulam District, 1989-90

Aim: to achieve total literacy in one District
Target numbers: 23% of adult population – participation voluntary but great social pressure to
join
Target groups: older Muslim housewives, poor people, scheduled castes (SC), tribal people,
fisherfolk and Tamil migrant workers
Motivation: communication with relatives working abroad (high emigration rate in Kerala)
Phase 1 Total Literacy Campaign (TLC) – basic literacy
Period: 100 days
Testing: Included writing a letter about how they felt about the literacy campaign. Pass rate on
final test, 91%.

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Phase 2 Post Literacy Campaign (PLC) – consolidation of neo-literates’ learning – delayed for
six months by change of state government
Result: almost total relapse into illiteracy, though 72% could still read and 80% were
numerate (1999 evaluation, Tharakan)
Explanation of failure (Tharakan):
the quality of training given to the tutors
local political problems
political change at state level
the socio-economic circumstances of the learners.
The last two were particularly important
Exception: older Muslim women – probable cause, wish to communicate with emigrants –
helping factor: younger literate relatives.
Phase 3 Continuing Education (CE): now ongoing

Continuing Education students and their tutors

Marangattupalli panchayat, Kottayam District (2005)

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 Learners’ reactions
‘They felt that they had changed – they had been in the dark and now could read in front of
other people. They had more self-confidence and self-esteem. Some wished they had had the
chance fifteen years earlier – they had missed the chance to read over that period’ (KSSP
volunteeer in Ernakulam campaign).

‘Others could read and write so I felt I was missing out – and all my grandchildren are highly
educated, so I wanted to learn, for interest … I even attended the exam with a broken wrist
and my arm in a sling. I disseminate the value of literacy and am trying to persuade my
neighbours to come to classes – but without success so far! I will go on learning till I die’ (70
year old woman, Marangattupalli panchayat, 2005).

The E-Literacy Campaign

IT Learning Centre, Malappuram 2006

Trigger: request by group of Muslim women with relatives working in the Gulf
District: Malappuram – high percentage of Muslims, relatively low literacy rate (by Kerala
standards)
Started: 2002
Aim: every household should contain at least one person able to use a computer
Means: access to free computer education in every panchayat in specially set up learning
centres
Learners: many were older women
Result: 90-100% success
Current situation:
Akshaya centres teaching use of Internet and range of software programmes
Learning centres also act as Internet points
Programme being rolled out to the rest of Kerala