Lakshadweep Declares Full Literacy After 1,113 Adults Clear Foundational Test

Lakshadweep has been declared a fully literate Union Territory, with the island administration announcing on Sunday, October 11, that every adult identified as non-literate in its baseline survey has now cleared a foundational literacy and numeracy assessment.

The declaration was made by Administrator Praful Patel under the ULLAS – Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram, a Centrally sponsored adult literacy scheme. According to a communication from the Department of Education, an initial survey across the islands identified 1,113 adult non-literates, who were then covered through intensive teaching and assessment drives.

The department said all eligible learners had cleared the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Test (FLNAT), the benchmark examination under the scheme, which is what allowed Lakshadweep to record full literacy status.

What the declaration covers

ULLAS, which stands for Understanding Lifelong Learning for All in Society, was launched in 2022 with the aim of covering adults aged 15 and above who missed out on formal schooling. Its focus is foundational literacy, numeracy and critical life skills rather than school certification.

The declaration therefore reflects the completion of the scheme's target group in Lakshadweep, as identified by the territorial administration. It is distinct from the literacy rate measured by the Census, which is calculated for the population aged seven and above. Lakshadweep's Census 2011 literacy rate stood at over 91 per cent, among the highest recorded in the country.

Doorstep testing for hesitant learners

According to the communication, teachers and supervisors volunteered to conduct doorstep and home-based assessments for learners who were unable or reluctant to travel to designated examination centres. Follow-up assessments and re-testing were also organised to ensure that eligible learners completed the evaluation process.

The approach reflects a practical difficulty in adult literacy programmes: many learners, particularly older residents and working adults, are unable to attend fixed testing centres, and outreach methods are often needed to bring them into the assessment net.

Context and caveats

Lakshadweep is a small Union Territory with a population of about 64,000 people spread across ten inhabited islands, which makes door-to-door surveying and teaching more feasible than in larger States. The figures cited rest on the territorial administration's own survey and assessment, and no independent audit of the learner list or test results was reported in the communication.

The Centre has been pushing similar declarations across States and Union Territories, with adult education programmes functioning alongside the school system. Educationists have generally welcomed such drives while noting that sustained literacy depends on continued access to reading material and opportunities to use newly acquired skills, rather than on the completion of a one-time test.

Officials did not indicate in the communication whether follow-up learning or continuing education programmes would be run in the islands now that the initial target group has been assessed.