Lifelong Learning in the Context of Globalisation with Special Reference to NEO-Literates

The modern era of science and technology has unfolded a vital sense of interconnectedness all over the globe. It has created an increasing intensity and impact of knowledge and global interaction in various fields of life like the social, economic, political situation along with the field of education. The configuration of global power is changing constantly and frequently. Uses of various electronic media like telephone, radio, television, computer etc. has brought people in this world close to each other negating the ideas on which corner of the world they live. CIA World Fact book estimated in 2007 that the overall world literacy rate was 82% in 2000–2004. Africa as a continent has a literacy rate of less than 60 percent. The world's adult literacy rate- the number of literate persons expressed as a percentage of the total adult population- increased from 56% in 1950 to 70% in 1980, 75% in 1990 and 82% in 2000–2004. On recent trends, the adult literacy rate should reach about 86% by 2015. On average, the world literacy rate increased at a faster pace in the 1970s than in subsequent decades. While literacy rate adult rates have improved in all regions, they remain relatively low in South and West Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and the Arab States. There are also considerable differences between countries within regions. South and West Asia has the lowest literacy at f any region (59%), mainly due to the levels in Bangladesh (41%) and Pakistan (49%). Among individual countries, Burkina Faso, the Niger and Mali have the world's lowest adult literacy rates (below 20%), Asia 66.5% while America had 90% and Europe 96.9%. Quite obviously, the least developed countries have the lowest literacy percentage. India has the world's largest pool of illiterates. In India the percentage of literacy is 65.38%, while the gender gap in literacy rates remained consistent at around male literates 75.85% and female 54.16%. Several nations including Japan, Sweden, China and Vietnam started implementing and reorganizing their education systems long back. The East Asian countries like South Korea and Taiwan took to the ‘literacy campaign’ around the late 60s and 70s. As a result, they are in a better condition now with more literate population. On the International level, India has outstripped countries such as Nigeria, Iraq, Egypt, Ghana, Saudi Arabia and Uganda. India is also far ahead of Pakistan, Banladesh, Nepal, Bhutan etc. The ‘Literacy Programme’ in India has been in operation under the ‘National Literacy Mission’ since 1988.

Literacy forms an important input in the overall development of the people. It has nevertheless enabled them to comprehend their social, economic, political and cultural environment in a better way. However literacy and education do not necessarily co-exist and neither are they coterminous. Therefore it is essential to consolidate the literacy skills not only through equivalency programmes, income generating programmes, quality of life improvement and individual interest programmes but also by providing life learning opportunities through appropriate intervention strategies. The paper is an attempt to suggest the intervention mechanisms for not only consolidating the learnt skills in the TLC phase but also to provide the opportunity and means for life long learning for the neo-literates.