Introduction

Among the districts of U.P., Badohi is an infant, carved out of the erstwhile Varanasi District, on 13.6.1994. Its population of 10 lakhs are mainly rural inhabitants, with just about 10% in urban areas. Badohi has 3 Tehsils, comprising 7 Development Blocks, with 100 Naya Panchayats and 648 GPs. Banares' rich learning traditions did not seem to have left much influence on its rural populace. Badohi's poor literacy position(44%) is explained by its meagre educational infrastructure: just 1 PG College, 46 High, 159 Senior Basic, and 588 Primary schools.

Badohi, however, has a special place for its carpet industry. By an estimate, 5 lakhs people are engaged in the carpet industry. The work force of carpet industry, drawn mainly from the poor rural and urban households appears to be largely illiterate. Children from other States are also engaged in this industry. "Save Childhood" campaigns are taken up to spread awareness and education of these children.

Badohi's TLC Background

When Badohi TLC was presented in NLM-PAC Meeting on 6.2.1996, for an estimated 2.85 lakhs iliterates in the 10-35 age group, it was decided to give an ad hoc mobilisation advance of Rs. 40 lakhs and the district was advised to reconstitute the ZSS-EC with greater representation of NGOs, and come before NLM with a revised POA and after an NLM pre-appraisal, for the formal final sanction, implying thereby completion of pre-launch preparations by that time.

TLC was started in June and T-L in Dec. last year. They appeared to have believed that mere intimation of revision in ZSS-EC composition was all that was needed to get further grants, and they did not seem to realise that they were to go back to NLM for formal sanction, with a revised POA and an NLM pre-appraisal. This pre-appraisal, thus, was somewhat out of context, if not irrelevant in a situation where Teaching-Learning(T-L) is already 6 months old.

Progress Made So Far

With the ad hoc grant of Rs. 40 lakhs from the Centre and Rs. 20 lakhs from the State Govt., Badohi TLC appears to have started the TLC, not merely as pre-launch preparations, as implied in the ad hoc advance, but almost as the first installment. The activities undertaken were not confined to EB. It also included Survey(which ascertained 2.6 lakhs illiterates), Training, of KRPs, MTs and VTs. What is even more significant, in order not to allow discontinuity between preparatory and launching of T-L phase, primers were ordered within the mobilization advance and T-L commenced from Dec. 96.

T-L was started for 1.70 illiterates in Dec. 96, and for remaining 90, 000, in March 1997, as per Primer supply position. They have already incurred expenditure of Rs. 67 lakhs as against Rs. 60 lakhs advance from Centre and State Govt. Without any money with them, they are now unable to plan further for II Primers, training of VTs, EB, etc. Although provided in the project, they have not recruited any fulltime workers, perhaps deliberately deciding to use the funds to start T-L than spend on administration. They preferred the method of using the services of officers, in addition to their regular work.

At present, according to their information, of the 1.70 lakhs learners for whom T-L started in Dec. 96, only 30,000 are said to have completed Primer I and the remaining are in various stages of learning in Primer I. Pre-appraisal Visit

A representative of SDAE, Lucknow was part of the Team, besides myself, and during the visit(May 21-23), we had initial discussion with the Secretary of ZSS(present and previous), who remained with us all through the visit; visited the district literacy office; held meeting with nodal officers of Gopiganj Block; visited one village - Jackgaon; and held two meetings with the DM and with some of the District Core Group Members.

Our Impressions:Points WE Consider Deficient

(i) In the one village we visited, a village of organisers' choice, one did not find much to assure of TLC being active now, either of learner participation, VT training, progress of T-L, Panchayats' involvement or monitoring and supervision from above. If this is the case in the village specially chose for our visit, how poor the situation elsewhere could be imagined.

(ii) The Panchayat President's perception that the low level of participation as due to lack of monetary incentives, and plea for the same, is proof of inadequate EB, where TLC's voluntary character has not been transmitted.

(iii) As made out by the DM and his officials that administration's pre-occuaption with new priorities of the govt of the day where non-fulfillment entails punitive action are true, but not new or peculiar to Badohi. Same is the case with the explanation of seasonality factors inhibiting learners' consistent participation.

(iv) The DM as well as senior officials' instability of tenure is most glaring in U.P. Yet, no conscious effort seems to have been made to save the programme from the adverse effects of such instability of top leadership such as creation of second line of command. In fact, the weakest point of Badohi TLC appears to be that there has been `everything official about it'

and `nothing community owned/involved about it'.

(v) Besides absence of fulltimers, absence of reliable and credible MIS, and the woeful deficiency in TLC understanding, raises serious doubts about their claim about the number reported enrolled, effective attendance and Primer I completed. In their MPRs, the actual enrollment is the same as as the surveyed number of illiterates. This is not borne out in the village we visited.

(vi) Lack of time amidst other duties is something so pervasively offered explanation. Still not having or seeing the need for full timers betrays a very inadequate understanding of TLC.

(vii) Badohi does not look the least of being a TLC district in the T-L phase of Primer I. There is no air of a TLC atmosphere. There is no fulltimer structure, no credible monitoring system. There is none of the hectic pace of activities seen in the early phase of T-L, viz., constant movement of district and block level functionaries to the field, and constant flow of information about field situation and problems. There might have been some build up of environment before T-L commenced. But there is no sign of TLC committees being active anywhere. TLC can not be active where one or two nodal officers at district level give 1-2 hours time a day for literacy. This is not the sign of a TLC in full flow.

(viii) If Badohi TLC is dormant now, it does seem to be the result of the haste with which T-L started on a weak conceptual clarity, organisational base and management system.

(ix) Literacy rate of the district(when it was part of Varanasi district) being just 44%, the 5 lakhs strong work force involved in carpet industry, being predominantly from the socio-economically disadvantaged sections must have a higher level of illiteracy. There does not appear to be any special strategy to deal with this sector, a feature which could make Badohi

(x) TLC somewhat unique.

What Needed Now

To re-activise the TLC, what are urgently needed, in our view, are:

(i) a definite priority for literacy in the agenda of district administration;

(ii) translation of this priority into visible action by direct involvement of the administration - officials of the different departments, especially, education, health, development, social welfare, women and child development;

(iii) activising literacy committees, by reconstituting them with greater NGO participation;

(iv) a disaggregate and diverse approach to TLC management: not uniform but flexible approach to making Panchayat Presidents, teachers or other govt. functionaries as heads of VLCs, depending on their level of commitment.

(v) Financial devolution and management decentralisation to block level, built on carefully evolved administration-panchayat partnership that can work. Presumptions about Panchayats' local patriotism and commitment for literacy can be as flawed as administration's pretensions of being able to go it all alone. But considering the ineffectiveness of leadership at the headquarters now, there is no way to reactivise TLC without an effective devolution-decentralisation approach;

(vi) Since there is no money left now, one can understand the absence of any focus or thrust plan about TLC now. But any plan of reviving TLC, which appears to be the case here, must hinge on a definite calendar and a PERT chart, spelling out all details of activities and a corresponding role/task delineation;

(vii) No TLC is effective without a full timer structure, an organizational structure with all sub-committees at district and block levels and matching the POA-PERT chart with their functions;

(viii) When TLC starts in all earnest again, what needs to be completed within the next three months include: (a) a complete orientation-sensitization strategy for govt. functionaries, Panchayat Presidents and members, KRPs, RPs, MTs, VTs and NGOs; (b) verification of survey, enrollment, T-L material distribution, effective attendance, learning situation; (c) re-activising committees at all levels, especially at the village level; (d) a systematic EB; (e) a full timer structure in position. (f) complete organisational structure with all sub-committees, their role delineation, and their regular meeting(weekly/fortnightly) at District and Block levels; and (g) a credible monitoring system that flows through the VLC, Block and district committees.

Our Assessment, Conclusion and Recommendation There can be two views about a TLC which with a mobilization advance, has already commenced T-L. One view could take objection as to why they did not use the advance only for pre-launch preparations and come back to NLM for formal sanction as was advised. Or simply put: Why did they move on to primer printing and start classes without a formal sanction? The other view, in their defense, could be that they might have thought it prudent to get on with the job, in good faith that they were in the right direction and that funds flow from NLM would not be denied or delayed.

That there were many deficiencies in their impatience to start off the T-L were not realised. We do feel that they were rather hasty in this and its result is now evident - absence of full timers, lack of any credible monitoring, lack of proper understanding about TLC among govt. functionaries and Panchayat Presidents who perceive low level of participation by learners and VTs as reasons of lack of monetary incentives, etc.

Even though they might have proceeded on good intentions, Badohi TLC leadership were technically wrong in not going by NLM- PAC decision. What makes their position particularly weak is both the ground level unenviable situation and their own approach which does not seem to have appreciated the steps and processes of TLC implementation -- literacy's priority in administration, as reflected in its direct involvement, functional popular committees, credible monitoring, supervision and feedback system(MIS), voluntarism, people's involvement, tight TLC planning, etc. Badohi TLC management appears to have been handled by a handful of officials over and above their regular duties and district level reviews seem to have been less rigorous than warranted.

These our impressions could be disputed or explained away as past lapses.

Two arguments are advanced for what may we perceive as lack of adequate management system, especially fulltimers. The one explanation offered is that they did not want to exhaust the meagre amount of Rs. 60 lakhs on administration cost, paying fulltimers. Arising from this logic is the second, viz., lack of proper guidance could be, as indeed was the case, another explanation.

The singular most reason offered for the dormant character of Badohi TLC now is lack of money: when full grants are received, they will resume TLC with all the requisites provided.

In our view, their candid recognition of some of their deficiencies, not realised earlier, is the first positive point.

The advance given was not all lost. Although T-L was started on a weak positive climate and organisation base, this could again be strengthened as money was not spend on these and the T-L materials are still there.

There is now a sense of urgency and clear recognition of the need to evolve people's participation and management oriented alternative to officials dominated TLC strategy. Devolution, decentralisation in TLC management and Panchayats and NGO involvement -- these commitments now offered give assurance.

There is really very little option in case of TLCs which already started T-L but got stuck up later, for want of money, for starting Primer II, etc. Notwithstanding their deviation from NLM guidelines and deficiencies in respect of lack of TLC character in their functioning, and considering that there was no serious misuse of funds and the firm commitment now offered, there does not seem to be a legitimate reason to delay or deny sanction.

However, their TLC track record does not assure confidence. The present ground level situation is also not inspiring. Therefore we recommend that NLM could accord formal sanction to Badohi TLC subject to (i) Badohi TLC leadership's explicit assurance to rectify the deficiencies noted above; and (ii) a proviso that release of the second installment would be subject to another appraisal by NLM to assure that Badohi TLC adheres to the principles and processes of TLC implementation, unlike the case till now.

Contact Info:

A. Mathew
NIAE