Training and supporting the ‘volunteers’: Revisiting total literacy campaigns in India

Teacher effectiveness is one of the most important determinants of the success of adult literacy programmes. From the outset of the campaign movement, the National Literacy Mission (NLM) of the Government of India has emphasised the need for a training and support system for campaign personnel, who often have limited education and lack of experience to understand the problems of literacy and to effectively teach adults. This article is part of a larger case study illustrating how the campaign approach, approved at the national level, was de facto implemented at the grassroots level with local specific variations beyond the campaign model. The article examines the campaign strategies with respect to training and supervision, and presents qualitative data generated through in-depth interviews with the village level volunteer force, so as to illustrate local responses to the district plan. When the implementation process, as well as the outcome of the campaign is studied, the gap between policy and practice becomes more apparent. The mass movement approach of the campaign appears to have been replaced by a top-down effort to achieve the national goal of universal literacy, with little attempt to allow managerial flexibility at the ground level. The article argues that decentralisation of the campaign structure may be necessary to make it relevant to the local context.