Background

The Firozabad TLC was given ad hoc sanction and a mobilization advance of Rs. 25 lakhs in Oct. 1995. When Firozabad TLC returned to NLM in Aug. 97 for final sanction, consideration of the proposal was deferred pending pre-appraisal by NLM. Besides, in view of the high incidence of child labour in the glass industries, Firozabad TLC leadership was advised to revise their POA incorporating specific strategies addressed to the working children. A pre-appraisal visit was made to Firozabad on Sept. 24-25, along with two officers of the State Directorate of Adult Education, Lucknow. Firozabad TLC: Oct.1995-Sep.97 Background information regarding the progress made by Firozabad TLC since its sanction and the problems it had to encounter, was provided by the ZSS Secretary and other o officials involved in the programme when we visited the District.

Firozabad TLC started in October 1995 with environment building and survey work. Due to administration's pre-occupation with elections in 1996 -- State Assembly, Parliament, Panchayats, etc, TLC work was affected. TLC was started again in Oct. 96, with another round of EB, a fresh Survey, training of RPs, MTs and VTs, and classes were started in April 1997. And then came the "Ambedkar Gaon" programme of the State Govt., which as per the officials' account, diverted the total energy and attention of the administration towards that programme. From May to was no breather. Literacy classes started in April are said to be continuing, but low on learner-VT turn out. Centes which function seem to have an average of 4-6 learners, but mthat seems not based on any credible There has also been frequent transfers of DMs and other senior officials. The present DM, just about a month old in the District now, along with other senior officials, is said to have chalked out the strategy to galvanise the programme. Already underway, before the end of October, it is planned to achieve the peak of T-L., i.e. starting all centres and ensuring that all learners attend the classes. This strategy as has been planned, will also be accompanied first by Block level and then Naya Panchayat level meetings. Thus, there appear to have been two phases, one between Oct. 1995-Jan. 96, and then again from Oct. 96 onwards. The second phase seemed to have been sustained till April when the classes started. Then again there appears to have been a period between May-Aug.97, when the tempo was not maintained. The present effort to step up the programme is the third attempt.

Pre-appraisal Visit and Impressions

Background information about the progress made by Firozabad TLC since its ad hoc sanction and the problems it had to encounter, was provided by the ZSS Secretary and other officials involved in the programme. We attended a meeting of the ZSS members -- officials, including and DM and senior officers, NGOs, MLA and MP, Teachers on Secondment to TLC -- at the Collectorate on Sept. 24. 30-40 people attended the meeting. This meeting helped to learn about the involvement of TLC organisers, the ground level situation of TLC now, especially the T-L, the response of the general public etc. Field visit was made to one of the Blocks - Jasrana, where we attended a Block level meting - Sakshratha Vikas Samelan - which is part of the on-going strategy to step the TLC tempo. It was attended by TLC workers - VTs, MTs, TLC in-charge functionaries of Naya Panchayat, Block and Tehsil levels, Panchayat members. The district level officials, including the DM, were present. There were easily about 1000 people present. While the purpose of the meeting, viz., ensuring all learning centres with full strength , was the tenor of the speeches, two other aspects could be discerned: one, the passage of the campaign till now, with its ups and downs, and the second, the new strategy of linking literacy with development and welfare schemes in order to bring administration and its schemes closer to people and to increase learner and public response to literacy as posited in development and welfare perspective.

We also had detailed discussions with the DM and other senior officials about the future strategy.

Assessment

1) Firozabad TLC is on the Agra TLC pattern. Most of the key functionaries associated with it had Agra TLC experience. Some of the distinct features of Firozabad TLC may be worth noting: (i) commitment to literacy and the spearhead role of district administration; (ii) the assigning of academic supervision and T-L monitoring role to teachers and officials of Education Department; (iii) responsive administration as a specific strategy to win public confidence, cooperation and participation in TLC. The dominant presence of administration in the very design of TLC implementation and a mass participation approach may seem paradoxical. But there appears to be a transparent belief that even when loaded on the wings of administration, programmes like TLC can be lent a mass character and also perhaps as the only option in States like U.P. 2) TLCs given ad hoc sanction return within 6-9 months for the final sanction. In case of Firozabad now it is nearly two years. Admittedly, this cannot be an unexceptionable case. But, Firozabad TLC leadership was at pains to impress upon us about three factors which hindered the smooth pace of TLC. There have been 7-8 DMs within the last 3 years, and also some of the other senior officials like ADM, CDO, etc. Such instability affected the TLC schedule. The year 1996 was an election year and administration's pre-occupation with elections also affected the TLC tempo. The third was the "Ambedkar Gaon" programme between May-Aug. with which the whole administration was tied down. Two waves of TLC activity in between, of attempts to start it in real earnest with all the environment build up and preparations, but disrupted by these factors. The second was from Oct. 96, lasting till April 97, leading to commencement of T-L in April. Sustaining the T-L tempo became difficult because of Ambedkar Gaon programme. Battling to re-start or steping up dragging programmes needs greater determination and nerves than starting fresh ones. That Firozabad had not given it up and started the re-activisation phase on its own is a point very much in their favour.

(3) Some other favourable features about Firozabad TLC: carved out of the earlier Agra district, and with inter- changeable positing system, many of the district level officials, including those in the education system, have experience of Agra TLC. The present DM has TLC experience in Pitoragarh District. Thus, Firozabad TLC to most of the officials, is not the first, but the second. But even more significant is the highly compact nature of the district, the whole district within a radius of 25 KMs, a manageable target size (2.07 lakhs, in the 9-35 age group), a highly prosperous gentry, and a social ethos which is quite receptive to administration. TLC taken up in earnest could have an easy passage and public cooperation would not be a problem.

(4) When the project came up for formal sanction last month, Firozabad ZSS was advised to revise their POA to give special attention to the large size of working children in Firozabad. This has been taken care in the revised proposal.

Support of factories and industrial houses and NGOs has been enlisted and the 30-odd schools specially established under the abolition of child labour and rehabilitation scheme is said to be adequate to meet the educational requirements of working children. Besides this, NGOs have been coopted to provide NFE to those working children still left out.

(5) Making TLC interesting and Enjoyable : There already plans, as the officials and the DM discussed with us, to make TLC big and jell in the minds and hearts of the people. Linking theTLC step up effort with information window exhibition of development-welfare programmes is only the beginning. The `Mini Collector' scheme that created waves in Agra through the `nigh halts' is on the anvil. An effective monitoring and weekly review system from village to district level has been worked out. This would be supplemented by surprise visits by a mobile squad from district and block levels.

Agra and Bareilly TLC phase I experience throws up one or two more ideas for Firozabad TLC leadership's consideration. TLC is all hope and life when a committed team is in charge. The foster care and morale sustaining approach that one saw in Agra - the DM appreciating in public the efforts of his colleagues and the TLC workers and felicitating excellence in TLC is one way of sending the signal to the public that literacy is both a top priority and noble cause, respected by the administration. The ID Card system to the VTs, and `Aao Bahana' (women society) formation in villages, the TLC campaign among lepers and prisoners which distinguished Bareilly TLC wan an attempt to reach TLC deep into the heart and conscience of civil society. More than two-thirds of the learners in Firozabad, as elsewhere, are women. Women in TLC leadership was no where to be seen during our visit. VT-learner motivation was mentioned as a major problem today. Firozabad does need more novel methods to inject life, interest and commitment of the cross sections of society.

Women presence and participation in the programme does not seem so much of a problem in these parts as in places like Rajasthan. Lend half the leadership role to women, this as a mini campaign, and it will take care of more than half of the TLC target group. Clinical efficiency is only half of the story of TLC. Endearing TLC to the people in ways and methods which reach out to their conscience and sowing seeds of self-sustenance is the other half of TLC story, the latter easily more memorable than the former, clinical eficiency. This is no luxury but a critical need in the present context of perennial instability of district administrative leadership in U.P. Ways and means of making TLC memorable, especially by creation of networks at grassroots levels and coopting non-government people in literacy leadership roles is the best way of mking literacy pursuit enduring. Conclusion and Recommendation Firozabad TLC received only an ad hoc sanction. True, it moved in fits and starts and had a chequerred history. But there is no denying the fact that they wanted to get on with the job, not just pre-launch preparations, but also the T-L. The idea was not to allow gap between preparatory and T-L phase. It is another matter that their efforts were plagued by factors beyond control - elections, transfers, priorities overriding TLC - that checkmated the TLC tempo every time. Unlike other languishing TLCs, Firozabad is yet to receive formal sanction. It may also have seen off the more trying phase, in having graduated to the T-L phase. What it needs now is to step up the programme, to bring back the missing 30-4-% centres and learners into function. That was what all the eforts about that we saw in Firozabad. The most redeeming feature is the leadership team, experienced and committed, led by a DM who has himself been involved in a TLC earlier. The revival strategy is already underway and it has elements of greater appeal to people and winning their participation. The Firozabad ZSS has also been frugal in the use of funds given for mobilization, but harnessed resources from other departments for EB, meetings, survey, etc.

Firozabad TLC also paid heed to NLM's advice to incorporate special strategies for the working children and revised the POA. The commitment of the leadership, we found, is inspiring. The enthusiasm seen in the meetings proved this and also that there is no disillusionment and alienation among the public and literacy workers. From interaction with the officials, cross section of people at the block level, and with the DM, the pre- appraisal team got the impression that disruptions witnessed earlier would be a thing of the past and would not be repeated, if one goes by the strategies they worked out and are now implementing: by their reckoning, they would be able to get all th e centres function with full strength before the end of October. It looks that hectic days are in sight for Firozabad TLC. We recommend Firozabad TLC for total sanction and release of regular funds.