The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

EDUCATION

Literacy drive fails to live up to expectations
Asha Ahuja

Ludhiana, June 21
The literacy campaign which took off with a great deal of enthusiasm — thanks to the district authorities and the elected body of volunteers — has a massive budget of Rs 1.71 crore. It was funded by the Human Resource Ministry and the first instalment of Rs 85.6 lakh was given to the Ludhiana Sakharta Samiti through the aegis of the National Literacy Mission in 1995. However, the project failed to live up to expectations.

The Ludhiana Sakharta Committee (NGO) started a literacy campaign on a grand scale in the year 1995. Half of the structure of this body was formed by the Punjab government headed by the District Commissioner and other officers and the other half was manned by volunteers and prominent members of Ludhiana. The district coordinator of the project, Mr H.S. Randhawa, is the sole member of the samiti at this stage as the whole programme has come a cropper.The project folded in 1997.

Mr Randhawa informed the correspondent that when the project started in 1995, there was a great deal of enthusiasm among all the people concerned — the government as well as general public. The policy of the government was to pick up any candidate from any department and use his services for Sakharta Samiti. The salary of the person would be paid by the parent body. The aim of the programme was to educate individuals between the ages 15-45 years. There were three levels of literacy programme starting with ‘total literacy campaign’, ‘post literacy project’ and ‘continuation of education and to further give the literates some vocational training’ so that they could either start their own enterprise or find jobs based on the vocation taught.

In the first instalment the National Literacy Mission sanctioned Rs 85.6 lakh, which was spent on books, blackboards, chalks, copies and training, printing books and pamphlets on literacy. There were ‘key resource’ persons trained at the district level who gave training to ‘resource persons’, who,in turn, trained master trainers and these further trained the volunteer trainers. A village co-ordinater and a ‘nari-contractor’ looked after the literary need of 5 to 7 villages and they were given an incentive of Rs 1000.

The first goal of the project was to identify the illiterate people in the district of Ludhiana. The LSS (Ludhiana Sakharta Samiti) identified 1.63 lakh people and one can imagine the magnitude of the motivation required to bring such huge numbers to classrooms. So the ‘kala jathas’, ‘nukad nataks’, ‘jaagon’, ‘gidha’ based on the importance of literacy in one’s life were staged in villages to motivate the people to learn. That they did succeed is clear from the fact that 88,739 learners participated in the first-level literacy campaign. But the campaigners could not sustain the interest of the learners and there were a lot many dropouts at the first and second primary levels. At the third primary level, only 52,922 students were left. The regular internal evaluation test was devised by posting a five-man team in one area. The idea was to check the authenticity of the literacy level of the people.

The major cause of failure of the campaign was the non-payment of money by the state government although the artists of literacy programmes were successful in drawing the people to the literary classes in the initial stages. In the village, the educated people like college girls, ex-Army officers, unemployed educated men were identified and asked to take classes for the people. Special kind of literature was prepared ‘Chanan da Dariya’, ‘Chatta Chanana Da’, ‘Chanan Mamta Da’ were some of the titles of the books. The books have plays inspiring poems on the theme of literacy.

The post project literacy report was presented to the national literacy mission but the greatest tragedy was that the mission folded up in 1997 and the post-project literacy report though in the anvil could not be taken up because the state government did not keep part of the bargain of contributing one-third towards the literacy campaign. Has literacy then no importance for the state of Punjab? For three years the office of LSS remained silent. Those who were educated lost interest due to no backup programme.

Last year this samiti was given Rs 3.44 lakh for RCH programme (Reproductive Child Health). This programme dealt with the health of the population. Again, the ‘kala jathas’ and other cultural organisation went to educate people about the burning health issues. The aim of the RCH was (a) to provide complete health for the district; (b) to bring awareness amongst the people that the right age for the marriage for girls is 18 years and for boys 21 years; (c) to provide proper immunisation to pregnant women during the entire pregnancy; (d) to motivate women to go for delivery at hospitals and not risk their lives at the hands of untrained midwives; (e) immunistion of children; (f) methods of family planning and population control; (g) to bring about gender equality; (h) to make the children aware of their rights and protection. Unemployed educated were appointed as area project coordinators to bring about all the necessary education. Jagroop Singh, the tehsil coordinator, said: “All the people educated during the years 1995-1997 may have become illiterate again. If the libraries had been started and there were other means of motivation then perhaps the programme might have been marginally successful. The gender equality has failed to emerge. Rather, Punjab is becoming a ‘daughterless state.”

Sadly, many promises were made by government officials but really nothing tangible has materialised. Even the project coordinators became frustrated and have found other jobs. Even on adult education, a lot of money was spent but adults have leant only one thing that their children must study as they have no time.

The greatest tragedy of Ludhiana Sakharta Samiti has been the failure to carry on with their programmes due to non-payment of money by the state government. The whole office looks deserted and the files are gathering dust. How could such a massive programme be allowed to peter out?

Scientists misinterpreted my direction: VC
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, June 21
The Vice-Chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University said today that he had not stopped the scientists of the university to speak on the matters related to the academics but he had asked them not to criticise the functioning of the university, which was a seat of education.

Taking serious view of the reports of various newspapers stating that the scientists were not providing information about any research or experts comments on any issue related to agriculture, the VC said he had not prevented anybody to provide ‘intellectual inputs’ to the media.

He said the scientists were misinterpreting his direction in which he had said that only the scientists who were experts in the field concerned should give the information as those who did not have much knowledge about the issue had no right to provide it.

It should be mentioned here that panic had struck the scientists on campus who were not willing to talk to the media as they were fearing action from the authorities. The mediapersons were having difficult time as whoever scientists they were talking to used to refuse to say anything.

Many heads of various departments had even put a ban on their subordinates not to give any research paper for publishing in the Press. Some scientists had even started saying that they would only provide information about their research if they were asked by the Director Research of the university.

Not many takers for home science course
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, June 21
There is heavy rush of candidates seeking admission in bachelors course in veterinary science and B.Sc. (agriculture) offered by Punjab Agricultural University. The university has received 1962 applications for both these courses against 70 seats. The entrance test for these courses will be conducted on June 26.

The B.Sc. course in home science has not been able to attract many candidates. According to Mr Alok Shekhar, Registrar of PAU, the university has received only 49 applications against 50 seats. The last date of receipt of application forms for these courses was June 8. The forms for B.Tech. courses offered by PAU are still being sold.

There are 220 candidates seeking admission in MBA courses, for which the entrance test will be conducted on June 23. For other postgraduate courses offered by the university, 780 candidates have applied, while the postgraduate Diploma in Information Technology has attracted only 12 applicants against 15 seats. The Diploma in Agriculture conducted at Gurdaspur has invited 68 applications against 30 seats.

According to the Registrar, the B.Sc. course offered by the PAU is of four years’ duration and the admissions are made on the basis of an entrance examination. The Diploma in Agriculture is of two years’ duration and the B.Tech. course is of four years’ duration. The B.Sc in home science is also of four years’ duration and B.V.Sc. is of five years’ duration.

PAU’s CET on June 26
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, June 21
The Combined Entrance Test (CET) for admission to bachelors course in veterinary science and bachelors course in science at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) will be conducted on June 26.

This information was given by the Registrar of PAU, Mr Alok Shekhar here today. He said there would be no entrance test for admission to B.Sc. (home science) and diploma course in agriculture at Gurdaspur. The interviews for for B.Sc. (home science) would be conducted on July 17. The interviews for diploma in agriculture would be held on July 10.

Admissions to B.Tech. (agricultural engineering) would be held on the basis of CET conducted by Punjab Technical University. The entrance test for MBA would be held on June 23. The interviews would be held the next day.