Towards eliminating child labour

Great events of world history have taken place only when they were conceptualised with a right attitude, right approach, right perception and penetrating insight. Initiatives backed by such qualities often turn out to be meaningful and leave a perceptible impact in initiating the uninitiated.

This had happened in the arena of adult literacy in India in the early and mid-nineties. There were numerous cynics and sceptics who used to ask, 'Is this possible? Is this feasible? Is this achievable? Is it not dispensable in favour of primary education and higher education? Could it not wait?" Total literacy campaigns launched under the umbrella of National Literacy Mission

(NLM) first in the district of Ernakulam, then in the whole of Kerala, Pondicherry, Goa and now in 394 districts out of 470 in different parts of the country have helped to dispel this cynicism and scepticism. They have demonstrated that adult literacy is not something phoney, something utopian, something airy but something possible, feasible and achievable.

This was made possible by taking up a district as the unit of operation (adult literacy), by mobilising and sensitising the district administration and in particular the head of the district administration, by igniting one spark so that in turn it can ignite numerous sparks, by pooling resources from a variety of sources and integrating them imaginatively and skillfully so that the desired results can be achieved in less time and cost. This was made possible by planned, concerted and coordinated efforts to initiate the uninitiated and by carrying a new hope, faith and conviction to the letter.