ULLAS initiative: Students in teaching courses to be mandatorily engaged in adult literacy drive

The 32-page guidelines, seen by HT, state that “all student-teachers enrolled in NCTE recognised Teacher Education Programmes must act as Volunteer Teachers (student-teacher) under ULLAS”

The students enrolled in teacher education programmes recognised by the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) will be mandatorily required to teach five to eight non-literate adults and help them obtain literacy certification under the Centre’s ULLAS scheme (Understanding of Lifelong Learning for All in Society)- Nav Bharat Saksharta Karyakram or New India Literacy Programme (NILP) scheme, with their academic credits linked to the successful certification of the learners, according to new guidelines released by the Union education ministry.

India currently has 15,509 recognised Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs) offering 17,84,326 approved seats. (Representative file photo)

The ‘Guidelines for Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs) under ULLAS – Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram,’ launched by minister of state for education Jayant Chaudhary on October 28, make participation in the adult literacy programme mandatory for student teachers enrolled in NCTE-recognised courses, including Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.), Bachelor of Physical Education (B.P.Ed.), Masters of Education (M.Ed.), Masters of Physical Education (M.P.Ed.), Diploma in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed.) and the Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP).

Acknowledging ULLAS’s role in promoting adult literacy and restoring learners’ dignity and confidence, Chaudhary said the “new guidelines would enable student teachers to play a vital role in empowering the nation.”

However, the guidelines do not specify an academic batch, year of admission or date of commencement for implementation.

“The NCTE is expected to provide regulatory and academic direction by embedding ULLAS within teacher education programmes, including appropriate credit or equivalent marks or grades linkages,” the guidelines state.

Student teachers, in this context, are individuals pursuing pre-service teacher education courses in NCTE-recognised colleges and universities. They will be required to register as Volunteer Teachers (VTs) under ULLAS and undertake adult literacy teaching as part of their teacher education programme.

The 32-page guidelines, seen by HT, state that “all student-teachers enrolled in NCTE recognised Teacher Education Programmes must act as Volunteer Teachers (student-teacher) under ULLAS”.

While the scheme since its beginning in April 2022, envisages a wider volunteer network comprising students from schools and higher education institutions, teachers, members of civil society organisations, community members, housewives, Anganwadi workers and volunteers associated with MY Bharat, NSS and NCC, the new guidelines specifically mandate the participation of student teachers enrolled in recognised TEIs.

The learner target will depend on the duration of the teacher education course. Those enrolled in two-year programmes will have to make at least five learners literate, those in three-year programmes six learners and those in four-year programmes eight learners.

Academic credits only after learner’s ULLAS certification

ULLAS, or Understanding of Lifelong Learning for All in Society, is the Centre’s adult literacy programme launched in April 2022 for non-literate people aged 15 years and above. It aims to cover 50 million learners by 2027.

The programme combines volunteer-led face-to-face teaching with digital learning materials available through its mobile application and community learning centres. Learners study foundational literacy and numeracy, along with critical life skills, vocational skills, basic education and continuing education, before appearing for the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Test (FLNAT). Those who clear FLNAT receive literacy certification from the National Institute of Open Schooling.

The guidelines make it clear that participation in ULLAS alone will not qualify student teachers for academic credits. “Credits or equivalent grades/marks shall be awarded to student-teachers (VTs) only after the learners assigned to them successfully appear in FLNAT and are certified as Literate under ULLAS,” they state. FLNAT is conducted twice a year.

The guidelines also specify that “no monetary incentives” will be provided for participation in the initiative, with academic credits or equivalent marks and grades serving as the incentive.

Under the programme, student teachers will register themselves as volunteer teachers on the ULLAS mobile application with the help of teacher educators. They will be responsible for identifying and registering learners, planning teaching schedules, preparing lessons and conducting regular assessments to monitor their progress.

Their teaching responsibilities will extend beyond basic reading, writing and numeracy. They will also impart critical life skills, including digital and financial literacy, using “multilingual, inclusive, and context-sensitive teaching-learning strategies suitable for diverse learners”.

Student teachers will have to help learners build confidence to appear in the FLNAT and ensure their participation in the assessment. They will also document their teaching experience through learner profiles, assessment records, progress reports and geo-tagged photographs of their interactions with learners.

Role of institutions

The guidelines assign teacher education institutions the responsibility of implementing and monitoring the programme. Heads of TEIs will be overall in-charge and will appoint nodal officers to coordinate with state and district authorities, identify non-literate learners and assign them to student teachers.

Institutions can follow two models for identifying learners — institutional tagging, under which state authorities allocate learners to TEIs, and individual tagging, which allows student teachers to identify non-literate adults themselves and register them on the ULLAS portal.

In areas where an adequate number of non-literate learners are unavailable, student teachers can be assigned alternative activities, including helping newly literate adults enrol in the National Institute of Open Schooling’s (NIOS) open basic education programme, strengthening community learning centres, facilitating vocational education and undertaking research-based fieldwork, the guidelines state.

India currently has 15,509 recognised TEIs offering 17,84,326 approved seats.