ULLAS: Understanding of Lifelong Learning for All in Society
ULLAS: an initiative to eradicate illiteracy by 2030
ULLAS: To achieve the target of 100% literacy by 2030, the Government of India is implementing a centrally sponsored innovative scheme called Nav Bharat Saksharta Karyakram or New India Literacy Program for the period of FYs 2022-2027. The scheme is popularly known as ULLAS: Understanding of Lifelong Learning for All in Society, upholding the motto “Jan-Jan Sakshar”.
- The scheme is targeted at all non-literates of age 15 years and above. The scheme, in line with NEP 2020, targets adults (aged 15 and above) who could not go to school or attain formal education.
- It focuses on imparting Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN), through critical life skills, such as Digital Literacy, Financial Literacy, Legal Literacy, Environmental Literacy, Health & Hygiene, etc.
- ULLAS is to be implemented through VOLUNTEERISM, encouraging citizen participation, emphasizing DUTY or Kartavya Bodh towards nation-building.
- The scheme contributes to India’s growth, by making India जन जन साक्षर.
- The ULLAS App has been developed to register learners, volunteers and also containing teaching learning material for them.
- The learners are certified as literate by way of twice-a-year assessments in September & March.
The ULLAS MELA 2024
Union Minister of Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan will inaugurate the two-day ULLAS Mela on 6th February 2024 at the National Bal Bhavan, New Delhi. Union Minister of State for Education Smt. Annpurna Devi will also be present as the Special Guest
There have been substantial activities carried out under ULLAS in most of the States/UTs.
Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education is organising ULLAS Mela on 6th-7th February, 2024 in collaboration with CNCL, NCERT to showcase various National and State level activities under ULLAS- Nav Bharat Saksharta Karyakram.
The event will comprise various activities including
- felicitation of Neo-literates from the States/UTs who have successfully certified in the Foundational Literacy Numeracy Assessment Test (FLNAT),
- the launch of the ULLAS Concise Primers of the states/UTs in local languages,
- sessions on ‘Best Practices’,
- panel discussion,
- Prize distribution to the winners of poster-making competition held during the International Literacy Week.
Seven hundred participants from various States/UTs along with more than 100 dignitaries from the Ministry of Education, States/UTs and various organizations will be participating in the event.
Statistics at a glance
Total Registered Learners: 1,08,97,014
Total Registered Volunteers : 32,56,294
Total Certified Neo-literate: 36,00,870
More about the ULLAS Scheme
- The Government of India has sanctioned a new Centrally Sponsored Scheme called “ULLAS” for the fiscal years 2022-2027.
- This scheme aims to address all aspects of Education For All, previously known as Adult Education. The initiative aligns with the National Education Policy 2020.
- As part of the scheme, online modules covering the entire spectrum of adult education will be introduced to enhance resource accessibility.
- The scheme’s objectives are not only to provide Foundational Literacy and Numeracy but also to encompass other essential components for 21st-century citizens. These include
- Critical Life Skills (such as financial literacy, digital literacy, commercial skills, healthcare and awareness, child care and education, and family welfare),
- Vocational Skills Development (with a focus on local employment),
- Basic Education (covering preparatory, middle, and secondary stage equivalency), and
- Continuing Education (offering holistic adult education courses in arts, sciences, technology, culture, sports, and recreation, as well as other topics of interest).
- The scheme will rely on volunteerism through online mode, with face-to-face training, orientations, and workshops organized for volunteers.
- All materials and resources will be provided digitally for easy access through TV, radio, cell phone-based free/open-source apps/portals, etc.
- The program targets non-literates aged 15 years and above in all states and union territories in the country.
- The Foundational Literacy and Numeracy target for the fiscal years 2022-27 is 5 crore learners at a rate of 1 crore learners per year.
- This will be achieved through the “Online Teaching, Learning, and Assessment System (OTLAS)” in collaboration with NIC, NCERT, and NIOS.
- Learners can register with essential information for online teaching, learning, and assessment.
- The financial allocation for “ULLAS” is Rs. 1037.90 crore, including a Central share of Rs. 700 crore and a State share of Rs. 337.90 crore.
15 Important features of the ULLAS Scheme
- School will be Unit for implementation of the scheme.
- Schools to be used for conducting survey of beneficiaries and volunteers.
- Different strategies are to be adopted for different age cohorts. Flexibility for States/UTs will be provided to undertake innovative activities.
- Foundational Literacy and Numeracy will be imparted through Critical Life Skills to all non-literates in the age group of 15 years and above.
- Use of Technologies to impart Adult Education for wider coverage of the scheme.
- Performance Grading Index (PGI) for state/UT and district level will show the performance of States and UTs to implement the scheme and achievements on a yearly basis by weighing both the physical and financial progress through UDISE portal.
- CSR/Philanthropic support may be received by hosting ICT support, providing volunteer support, opening facilitation centres for learners and for providing IT access to economically weaker learners in the form of cell phones, etc.
- The age cohort of 15-35 will be saturated first followed by ages 35 and above.
- Priority will be given in terms of categories to the girls and women, SC/ST/OBC/Minorities, Persons with Special Needs (Divyangjans), Marginalized/ Nomadic/ Construction workers/ laborers/etc. who can substantially and immediately benefit from adult education.
- In terms of location/area, the focus shall be on all aspirational districts of NITI Aayog, districts with literacy rates less than the National/State average, districts with female literacy rates less than 60% as per the 2011 Census, Districts/ Blocks with large SC/ST/ Minority population, Educationally Backward Blocks, Left Wing Extremism Affected districts.
- Convergence with Ministries/Departments for effective implementation of the scheme.
- ULLAS as Janandolan with an objective of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav::
- Participation of about 3 crore students/children of around 7 lakh schools registered under UDISE along with about 50 lakh teachers of Government, Aided and Private schools
- An estimated 20 lakh students from Teacher Education and Higher Education Institutions will be actively involved.
- Support will be garnered from PRIs, Anganwadi workers, ASHA workers and an estimated 50 lakh NYSK, NSS and NCC volunteers.
- There will be involvement of community, participation of philanthropic/CSR organizations through volunteerism and through Vidyanjali portal.
- State/UTs will promote individual/ family/ village/ district success stories through various platforms.
- It will utilize all types of media–Electronic, Print, Folk & Inter-personal platforms including social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, TV channels, radio, etc.
- Assessment of Literacy will be conducted in local schools using scientific format to capture the real-life learning and skills for functional literacy. Assessment on demand will also be made through OTLAS and e-certificate jointly e-signed by NIOS and NLMA will be issued to the learner.
- Annual Achievement Survey of Learning Outcomes by samples of 500-1000 randomly selected learners from each state/UT and Outcome-Output Monitoring Framework (OOMF).
- Adult Education in the country:: As a progressive step, it has also been decided that from now onwards the term “Education For All” will be used in place of “Adult Education” by the Ministry in view of the fact that the terminology “Adult Education” is not incorporating appropriately all non-literates of 15 years and above age group. The term ‘Adult Education’ implies coverage of adults/elders/old age people generally. Accordingly, the terminology “Education for All” may henceforth be used in place of ‘Adult Education’
Monitoring and Reporting of ULLAS MIS
Monitoring and Reporting are two integral features of ULLAS that help in identifying volunteers and learners.
They also ensure that there is a proper allocation and tagging of volunteers with the respective learners.
A learner’s progress can be monitored and assessed by the learner as well as a voluntary teacher by viewing the grades of their internal assessments.
An elaborate mapping of the progress of the volunteers, learners, and surveyors, can also be done.
How to get involved ?
OTLAS
- Online Teaching, Learning and Assessment System (OTLAS) is a computer application embedded in Web Portal/Mobile App under ULLAS developed by National Informatics Centre (NIC).
- Through OTLAS, a person may register him/herself or a school may register him/her as a learner/non-literate or Volunteer with essential information like name, date of birth, gender, Aadhaar Number (not mandatory), mobile number, etc for imparting teaching and learning activities.
- With OTLAS a learner may attend class through online/virtual mode by using his/her mobile, computer, laptop, Common Service Centre (CSC) / Digital Booth, any cybercafe or any place where computer/internet facility is available.
- A learner may obtain the results in the form of e-Certificate jointly e-signed by NLMA and NIOS after successful submission of his/her appearance of the requisite assessment test.
- OTLAS contents three sections, namely,
- (i) Registration of learner/volunteer
- Direct
- School
- (ii) Teaching and Learning
- Each One Teach One
- School
- (iii) Assessment and Certification
- Direct
- School
- (i) Registration of learner/volunteer
Online Survey App
- The app is created to help tag a Volunteer with non-literates and see the number of untagged non-literates and volunteers.
- A surveyor can identify and submit information regarding the volunteers and non-literates, 15 years and above, while performing door-to-door surveys in a certain vicinity.
- An authorised user can even carry out periodic inspections to ensure smooth functioning.
Other Frequently asked Questions
The Government of India has approved a new centrally-sponsored scheme, the ‘New India Literacy Programme (नव भारत साक्षरता कार्यक्रम)’ for the period during FYs 2022-2027 to cover all the aspects of ‘Education For All’ (erstwhile termed as Adult Education) to align with National Education Policy 2020 and also with that of Budget Announcements FY 2021-22 which mandated to enable increased access of resources, online modules covering the entire gamut of adult education will be introduced.
To achieve the target of 100% literacy by 2030, the Government of India is implementing a centrally sponsored innovative scheme called Nav Bharat Saksharta Karyakram or New India Literacy Program for the period of FYs 2022-2027.
The scheme is popularly known as ULLAS: Understanding of Lifelong Learning for All in Society, upholding the motto “Jan-Jan Sakshar”.
The scheme is targeted at all non-literates of age 15 years and above. The scheme, in line with NEP 2020, targets adults (aged 15 and above) who could not go to school or attain formal education.
The objectives of the scheme are to impart not only Foundational Literacy and Numeracy but also cover other components that are through critical life skills, such as Digital Literacy, Financial Literacy, Legal Literacy, Environmental Literacy, Health & Hygiene, etc.
The Ministry of Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Government of India has launched the ULLAS Mobile App
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what is the present literacy rate”
At present the literacy rate in India is 72.98% with Male literacy at 80.88% and female literacy at 64.63%