Natinal Confrence on emerging technologies

Paper presented by:- Dr.Janak Palta mcgilligan

Dear Friends,

It is12 years after the International Year of Literacy. In 1990, UNESCO proclaimed the goal of “Literacy for all by the year 2000’, a goal towards which it started through World Wide programmes run by governmental and non-governmental organisations. The main objective of this programme was to promote literacy activities for the recovery of human rights, for developing cultural identity, for improving the quality of life and for establishing foundations for social and economic development.

India’s position on the literacy map is far behind the Asian countries like China, Sri Lanka, Burma, and Vietnam. India has 2.4% of the world’s geographical area, 17% percent of the world’s population, and it has 40% of the world’s illiterate. Historically, there were 50 million literate in 1951 and 247 million literate in 1981, with an average growth rate of 6.23 million literate per year; the number of illiterate was 300 million in 1951 and 437 million literate in 1981. This called for general support of the governments at all levels in collaboration with non- governmental organisations working for the elimination of illiteracy from our country. In 1990 the government of India started literacy missions in 200 districts of the country. There have been many claims of complete literacy in villages and districts but the President of India on September 8, 1993, said that, while progress has been made in the direction of reducing illiteracy, much needs to be done. The rate of growth of the population and the dropout rate at the primary level stage of education has been sited as being primarily responsible for the alarming level of illiteracy in our country. The female literacy level has been much lower than the average. For instance, in 1991 the average literacy rate 52.2% and the male literacy rate was 63.86%, while the female literacy rate was 36.14%. Though we claim to have achieved a lot in the last 10 years, the 2001 statistics reveal that women are still far behind. We are sure this is the state average; the rural and tribal female literacy is much lower.

Factors for Low Literacy among Rural and Tribal Women

Women lack access to opportunities in higher education in science and technology

Gender bias in social and cultural practices

Rural area discrimination

Poverty

Lack of commitment and dedication among educated people to empower them

Importance of Literacy

Despite all the plans and higher budgets in the name of female literacy, women have not been able to make much progress. This is the main challenge for us. Attainment of female literacy even equal to the average is a big challenge for all of us. According to our belief, Baha’i philosophy, education of women is more necessary and important than that of men, as woman is the trainer of the child through its infancy. Success can never be consolidated without a spiritual commitment to serve the illiterates who are normally poverty-stricken or socially disadvantaged. Women are worst hit in our social system. Women’s role in the society is so vital that nothing short of according absolute priority to them could ensure success in any social endeavour. Through making women literate, we can conquer the greatest evils of our society: under-development, pollution, over-population and violence. Education and literacy is not learning the “the three Rs” (reading, writing and arithmetic); it must aim at educating our people to transform our families and communities. Education is a continuous and creative process. Its aim is to develop the capacity that every human being has though he may not be aware of it. Through education, these hidden qualities can be developed for the benefit of the individual and for the good of the society. Baha’u’allah, the Founder of the Baha’i Faith, commenting on human potentialities, said,

“Regard men (and women) as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value. Education can alone, cause it to reveal its treasure and enable mankind to benefit therefrom.”

Considering this, we should start digging these mines of gems, the illiterate women, and be the instruments of turning them to diamonds. We need to serve, because God has given us the capacity and position.

This kind of education is not possible through the existing school system because concept education is aimed to achieve the following goals:

  1. Human creativity can generate service to humanity and desire for the unification of mankind.
  1. Principles alone will not suffice to ensure personal growth and social change; it is action and will power to empower people.
  1. Recognition that the pursuit of wealth and power does not lead to happiness. Self-respect, integrity and morality are necessary for happiness.
  1. Individuals should be skilled at least in a particular field so they can experience the truth that work done in the spirit of service is worship, and they can lead lives of dignity and honour.
  1. People should be aware of programmes of health, environment, sanitation, agriculture and crafts and industry taking place, at least in their own area.
  1. Individuals should be able to reconcile science and religion. Science can only be used as a positive development if those who use it have a spiritual commitment; otherwise it will lead to destruction. Similarly, religion without science will become dogma and superstition.
  1. Individuals should be able to develop their intellectual capacity and help in carrying out community projects successfully.
  1. Individuals should analyse social conditions and their causes. They should be able to contribute ideas relating to community problems and their solutions.
  1. The individual can be able to take part in community planning and action when decisions resulting from consultation are taking place in the spirit of unity and collaboration.
  1. The individual should be able to understand the different responsibilities towards their government, abiding the law, and participating in overall human development.

Women constitute a major unrecognised and untapped human resource. Many governmental and non-governmental organisations are working to train women in skill development. There is an emphasis in linking training to self-employment opportunities, entrepreneur-ship, science and technology. It is normally observed that there is under-participation and under-achievement of women in the economic sphere. Any training programme of women has to go through a psycho- social process because of the various social constraints in our country. The first stage is awareness of the society followed by motivation and empowerment of the women being trained. The second dimension of training is helping the women understand its relevance in their lives. Thirdly, the trainers should work as facilitators, not as instructors, and promote the independence and confidence of the trainees.

The Barli Development Institute for Rural Women: An Example

Operating in the region since 1985, the Barli Development Institute for Rural Women in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, is a successful experience of sustainable community development through training of grassroots rural and tribal women as human resources. It runs six-month and one-year residential training programmes for rural and tribal girls between the ages of 16 and 25 from a number of districts in the state. The programmes address the problems of female illiteracy, high rates of female infant mortality and school dropouts, no access to information, economic and social resources, no vocational skills as well as male dominated institutions and governance. The training courses include personal development, literacy and numeracy, pre-natal and post-natal care, health and hygiene, and income generating skills. Since 1997, the Barli Development Institute for Rural Women has been accredited to the National Open School as a vocational centre.

Curriculum Development: The development of the curriculum has taken place over the seventeen years since the Institute's inception. It has evolved to take account of the backgrounds of the trainees using materials and ideas that are familiar in a tribal or rural setting and are relevant to their life. The Institute uses advice given by ex-trainees and professionals in the development of its curriculum. Similarly, the teaching and training style and content evolve gradually and organically. The Institute has created a set of theoretical and practical curricula that encourage the trainees to take an active role in improving the quality of life for themselves, their families and their communities. The curriculum content focuses on the issues and ideas that the trainees’ lives revolve around. For example, the health curriculum covers immunisations and treatment of common rural illnesses, as well as healthy motherhood and how to care for children.

The aim of the training at the Institute is:

  • To facilitate change in the traditional attitudes and practices which block or impede the efforts of men and women to live in equality with dignity and security.
  • To facilitate the initiation and execution of development activities in the trainees’ communities.
  • To increase awareness and knowledge of the potential for improving the social and economic conditions in the communities.
  • To impart the skills and knowledge needed to initiate development activities, improve health and nutrition, raise household income, increase literacy as well as protect and improve the environment.

Activity-Based Learning: The teaching has to be entertaining and active - not only because of the trainees’ background, but in order to enable them to remember more and be instrumental to their own learning. Thus, the various curricula employ games, stories and discussions as a central part of the learning process. These encourage the trainees to discuss the issue invoked in the lesson among themselves and consider how the topic relates to their own lives.

Practical Examples: This method is more geared towards the vocational part of the curriculum. Each afternoon the trainees focus on cutting and tailoring in preparation for the National Open School (a distant learning programme of the Indian government) exams, or on learning to type in Hindi if they have chosen to pursue this path. In addition to this, two hours in the morning are spent working in the gardens of the Institute. This enables the trainees to learn how to cultivate a small garden and grow food for their own consumption.

Peer Tutoring: One of the newer practices being implemented at the Institute is that of peer tutoring. The trainees are placed into groups of around seven trainees and each has a group facilitator, one of the girls on the one-year Area Co-ordinator course. The number of trainees (around 75 currently) is too large for one teacher to teach effectively, so the group facilitators are used as peer tutors, going through the day's lesson with the teacher one day previously to the lesson being taught. This enables more effective teaching and also allows the Area Co-ordinators to become more assertive and confident in their roles.

The role of the trainees when they return to their homes is to serve as community workers and for this reason they are encouraged to become more self-confident and raise their self-esteem. The curriculum encourages the trainees to speak in public and consider their own opinions as of worth. By facilitating their personal empowerment, as well as educating them, they become more active and eager participants in the development process. The curriculum can be self-corrected with the passage of time.

Literacy as Basis of Human Resource Development for Sustainable Community Development

Under its residential training programmes, totally free of cost, the Institute has trained more than 1,300 women in 200 villages as social change agents for the communities. They have been trained as community volunteers while they have been enabled to help themselves and their families with their health, education, and economic status.

In addition, the Institute has trained 116 couples in family life, which reduced violence in the family. The training of 355 family members helped the graduates to be more effective after the training. 216 members of 49 Gram Panchayats, including 43 women office bearers of grassroots elected village councils, have assisted the communities in project areas to strengthen their local institutional support to the graduates and use them as their trained resources for immunisation, literacy, environmental and poverty reduction programmes. The Institute has also conducted the advance training of its 86 graduates to build their capacity to carry out local social and economic development initiatives. The initiatives emphasized changing the attitude in favour of the girl child and giving girl children equal opportunities, along with other activities on a collective level as forming women’s committees (Mahila Mandals). They try to use the skills that they learnt at the Institute.

Impact on Solving Environmental Problems: Since 1987, in collaboration with government agencies, the Institute had pursued an educational programme in Jhabua district for the prevention and eradication of Guinea worm, caused by contaminated water in 302 villages in central India. When the programme began, 752 people were infected and 211,813 were at risk. Through the efforts of the government health officials and the women trained at the Institute, the population of the Jhabua district was completely free of Guinea worm by 1990. In 1992, the Institute received “The Global 500 Roll of Honour” of the United Nations Environment Programme for outstanding practical achievement in the protection and improvement of the environment, specifically in health education caused by contaminated water.

Impact on Trainees: The following are some of the results of the 165 women trainees’ development, trained in 20 rural and tribal communities:

  • Many young women who had discontinued their studies are being educated to complete high school.
  • 99 % of the trainees became literate, i.e., can read, write and understand simple Hindi, while in the beginning of the programme only 40-43 percent had the ability to do so.
  • 46 percent have started generating income by cutting, tailoring, embroidery, etc.
  • 7-9 % are employed in various governmental, non-governmental or private jobs.
  • 92-99 % became aware about the causes and proper treatment of malaria, snake bite and diarrhoea and 90 % of the trainees gained knowledge about maternal and child health care.
  • 75 % of them participate in women’s committees and groups for voluntary community development work.

Impact on Community: The following are some of the results experienced by surrounding communities:

  • One of the chief results is encouragement to other women to come forward to take training.
  • Their family's attitude towards women changes. They now see themselves as assets, not liabilities. After seeing the capacity of the trained ones, they send more girls to school.
  • It improves the health/hygiene status of the trainees and their families, which will gradually affect the communities.
  • Beginning of women's participation and their control over economic and social resources and governance.
  • Beginning of environment and basic education. Beginning to establish self-reliant women’s groups.
  • Beginning of leadership among women.
  • Operations of self help groups develop habit of saving, sustaining it and capitalizing, taking more credit and giving credit.
  • Immunisation of children increased from 22.7 % to 63.6 %.
  • Percentage of children given complete polio vaccination increased from 25.7 to 66.8%.
  • Percentage of infant death in one year went down from 17.1 to 2.6%.
  • No occurrence of infant death from diarrhoea and vomiting in the one year from the beginning of the project as the use of oral rehydration solution increased from 1.7 percent to 79.2 percent.
  • Incidences of deaths of pregnant women out of 122 women came down from 2 to zero in 3 years.
  • Percentage of miscarriages and stillborn babies came down from 42.6 to 36.1%.
  • Pre-natal and post-natal practice of health care of pregnant went up from 46.1 percent to 61.5 percent.
  • Female literacy level increased from 23.9 percent to 33.8 percent of the total literate population.

The target population had previously no opportunities to basic education or had never gone to school. The tribal female literacy rate in areas like Jhabua is only 6%. Most of these areas have there own unwritten dialect Bhil or Bhilali, they hardly speak any Hindi.

The Institute to date has trained 950 women, aiming at improvement in the quality of life. The programme is designed to foster positive attitude towards change. Local entrepreneur-ship, Leadership, Recovery of Human rights by acquiring awareness of their own innate worth and practical ability through a flexible Hindi, basic life skills like health, nutrition and diet, environmental education, income generation skills, building self esteem and spiritual qualities.

THE INSTITUTE CONDUCTS THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMMES EVERY YEAR .

  1. Three months residential (free of charge) training for 50-60 grassroots women who operate as social change agents in their own communities.
  2. One month advanced training to 20 selected those who feel the need to have additional training in upgrading their skills. These women operate as area co-ordinators, (volunteers) at Panchayat level and assist the above category of grassroots women.
  3. Two training programmes of 15 days for family training programme for 20 couples (40 persons)to learn Family Life skills like sharing Parenthood responsibilities in equal roles, importance of children’s education and their health especially the girls, to learn to run Family Life by using a consultative method.
  4. Trains 4 co-ordinators, 2 Master of Social Work students on placement for 1 year and 2 other potential women who want to learn how to establish women’s programmes in their own areas.
  5. Also incorporates Family links by inviting 50-60 Family members of the trainees for three days to make them aware about the programme and become a part support for the follow up of the programme.

Normally the women are 15 to 35 years of age. The Institute allows nursing mothers to bring their children with them to the programme. This has proved to be of great importance for the families that would otherwise be unwilling or unable to let the mother attend.