Two years ago,Fathima Beevi,a native of Keralas Alappuzha district,enrolled as a student and attended school for six months. Two years ago,Fathima Beevi,a native of Keralas Alappuzha district,enrolled as a student and attended school for six months. She gained a fourth class equivalent certificate but also earned herself a higher honour: at 92,she became one of the oldest school students in Kerala. Beevi had attended school as a child but an orthodox community spoiled her dreams of literacy. The ailing grandmothers day to return to school came two years ago when literacy workers spoke to her about Athulyam the state governments education programme for adults and primary school dropouts. On March 31,2012,Beevi passed away while preparing for her seventh standard equivalent exam but she has been an inspiration for others as well as a boost for the states initiative. Like Beevi,thousands of elderly people across Kerala are literally learning new lessons in the continuing education programme,a post-literacy drive in Kerala. Athulyam was launched by the Kerala State Literacy Mission Authority (KSLMA) under the governments Lifelong Education and Awareness Programme (LEAP),which aims to give primary education to all. After the successful launch of a pilot project in Nilambur village panchayat in Malappuram district in 2007,the KSLMA took it across 140 village panchayats out of 903 grassroot-level local bodies in the state. The criterion was to select a panchayat from an assembly constituency. Malayalam,maths and general science are the main subjects being taught at the Athulyams makeshift classrooms erected in one of the houses in a panchayat ward. The classes are conducted by village-level social workers,who are given an honorarium of Rs 500 a month. The fourth class equivalent exam had been completed in all panchayats and certificates issued to the students. Now,efforts are on to get the fourth equivalent graduates enrolled for the seventh equivalent class which is about to start. According to the KSLMA,63,713 persons had sat for the fourth equivalent exam held last year. Of them,52,673 were women and 16,040 were men. In Malappuram district,where the project was implemented,2,823 persons sat for the exam. C Devaki,58,was seized with the idea of obtaining a school certificate after she joined the NREG scheme. Now,I want to study as long as I can. I am eagerly looking forward to the classes for the seventh equivalent certificate, she says. K T Mammathummas school days had ended in the third standard when the dominant mood in the community was against sending Muslim girls to schools. The 70-year-old divorcee got a fresh lease a few years ago when she actively got involved in Kudumbasree,a state government sponsored poverty alleviation scheme for BPL women. Her grandchildren all attend college. How has she benefited from the course? Mammathumma says now she can now withdraw money from an ATM. She also enjoys sitting with her grandchildren to read the newspapers. M Khadeeja,61,had never attended a school,until the continuing education programme came knocking at her door. Mother of seven children,the widow has learned to record her signature instead of a thumb impression. Earlier,I could read the destination boards of the buses to our village. Now,I have started reading newspapers and textbooks of my grandchildren. I want to study till I die, she says. Abdul Rasheed,Malappuram district coordinator for the continuing education project,says that after achieving near total literacy the next mission will be to ensure that all neo-literates above the age of 18 complete primary education. A survey conducted at panchayats had revealed the reluctance of many elders to enrol for the continuing education programme. However,peer pressure and active involvement of the Kudumbasree workers,who double up as Athulyam instructors,have helped change the situation. Besides,a fourth standard certificate had become necessary for those going for the Haj pilgrimage,which has inspired many Muslim women to join classes. Kerala already has the highest literacy rate in India and the Athulyam initiative is one reason why.
