Kerala attains Total Primary Education

Thiruvananthapuram: Vice President of India M. Hamid Ansari declared Kerala as the first Total Primary Education attained State in India here on Wednesday.

Speaking on the occasion, the Vice President said that the impressive march of Kerala on the education and various other socio-economic fronts had been due to the constructive and combative roots of its historical background.

Mr. Ansari said the remarkable performance of Kerala on the various socio-economic indicators was a testimony to the transformative nature of mass education. “You have set a model for the rest of the country to follow,” he said.

Many years ago distinguished anthropologist Bill McKibben had described the spread of education as the most important factor in the making of a new Kerala.

The spread of education in Kerala had led to enhancement of individual freedom and capacity for asserting one’s rights such as for better healthcare, demands for more public services and monitoring their delivery, a better climate for gender equity, and above all, much faster reduction in income poverty than in many other States of India, he said.

He noted that the total literacy rate in Kerala was, according to the 2011 census, 93.9% compared to a national average of 74. The female literacy in the State was 92% against the Indian average of 65.5. The high literacy rate has an impact on some other aspects as well. The percentage of households availing banking services, for example was 74.2 in Kerala compared to a national figure of 58.7. Similarly, the percentage of households with toilets, something that the central government has been pushing strongly under the Swacch Bharat Abhiyan, in Kerala was 95.2 compared to India’s average of 46.8%.

“Today, Kerala adds another feather to her educational cap. The state is marking the successful culmination of its ‘Athulyam’ programme aimed at ensuring Total Primary Education in the State - equivalent to Std IV of formal education. This was the fructification of the continuing efforts under the Total Literacy Campaign through the well planned and executed post -literacy activities and the Continuing Education Programme by the Kerala State Literacy Mission Authority under the Government of Kerala.

“The Programme was launched with the support of local self-Government institutions in the year 2014-15. This Programme mainly targeted the adult learners between the ages of 15 and 50 years who were denied primary education for social and economic reasons beyond their control. Interested learners, even if they were above the age of 50, were also enrolled. The continuing education centres spread all over the state under the local self-Government Institutions with the cooperation of various government departments and voluntary organisations formed the spearhead of this programme.

“I am informed that some 2,40,804 learners were identified out of which 2,05,913 learners were brought to the classes after the outreach programmes. Classes were arranged for six months for the teaching and learning with the help of text books specifically prepared for this purpose. The State level examination of this remarkable project was conducted on 7th June 2015, where 2,02,862 candidates were declared successful.

“What is also remarkable about the project is that it was completed using limited resources. The project also relied heavily on the participation of volunteers and the Panchayati Raj institutions. The object lesson is that when well-motivated, the civil society and the local governance structures are able to deliver remarkable results at the grassroots.

“The formal external evaluation of the programme has been conducted by the State Resource Centre of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India. The findings of the report estimate that the programme was successfully implemented fulfilling all the aims and objectives as envisaged in the project prepared by the Kerala State Literacy Mission Authority for this purpose. “

Meanwhile, BJP leader V. Muraleedharan said in an open letter to the Vice president that the State government’s claim total primary education is hollow and exaggerated. The government had brought down the standards of education in the State by liberally awarding marks to students in the examinations. The drop-outs from tribal schools in Wayanad and Palakkad were very high. The survey results in this respect were being pushed under the carpet to make the claim of total primary education.  Moreover, many who have studied in schools did not have the skill to write in their mother tongue without errors.

He urged the the Vice President to seek and explanation from the State Government in this regard.