The Computer Based Functional

Literacy Solution For Adult Literacy

Customer n Computer Based Functional Literacy (CBFL) solution - an

Woolworths innovative teaching method conceptualised, designed
Limited
and developed TCS, based on the theory of Cognition
and Laws of Perception.
Industry
Retail &
Consumer Goods n Acclaimed as pioneering the third generation approach
to Corporate Social Responsibility.

n Successfully deployed in India and abroad, as part of the

Corporate Sustainability initiative of TCS.
ADULT LITERACY

There are an estimated 260 million adults Imparts

in India who are illiterate. According to the
2001 census report, 34.62% of the Indian
population cannot read or write. Based on
the current rate of literacy growth in India
(1.3% per year), it is estimated that it would
require about 1 million teachers and about
30 years or more, to achieve a literacy rate
of 90%.
Key Innovative Features of CBFL
Adopts
n a Systems Approach and Concurrent
Engineering Methodology
Makes
n innovative use of theories of Cognition and
Pedagogy, and multimedia to impart learning
Focuses
n on words rather than alphabets
Harmonizes
n visual and audio patterns to enable
reading, and helps retention of cognized patterns in
subconscious memory.
n reading, writing and basic Arithmetic ability
in about 45 learning hours, spread over 10 to 12
weeks.
CBFL and Conventional Learning Models: A
Comparative Analysis
The innovative combination of the theories of
Cognition, Language and Communication with IT
enables CBFL to achieve far quicker results in the
area of adult learning. While the NLM model, with
its conventional methods takes 9-18 months to
achieve results, TCS’ CBFL takes only 45 instruction
hours over 10 to 12 weeks to enable the learners to
recognize patterns and read.
Table 1 below provides a detailed analysis of the
conventional and CBFL methods:

Table 1: Comparative Analysis of the Conventional and CBFL Methods

Parameter Conventional Method CBFL Method

Delivery Mechanism Ins tructor-Led Computer-Based

Course Duration 200 hrs in 9-18 months 45 hrs in 3-4 months

Teaching Skills Required High (Professional Teachers Low (Preraks : para teachers with basic training)
Required)

Computer Requirement None Medium (Intel 80486 -make PCs)

Dropout Rate High Low (10-12%)

Scope for Repetition No Yes

Pace of Learning Cannot be adjusted Can be adjusted, as required

Simultaneous Use of Spoken Word Not Possible Possible (Using Multimedia enabled PCs)
and Visual Medium

Standardization in Te aching Not Possible Possible

Flexibility of Learning Low High

Effectiveness of Learning Content Low High (through Multimedia courses that capture
attention and motivate)

Estimated Time Required to achieve 15-20 Years 5-7 years

90 % literacy level in the country
ADULT LITERACY

The comparative cost to make a person literate

Table 2: Comparative Analysis of Costs between the Conventional and CBFL Methods

Parameter Conventional Method CBFL Method TCS Cost effectiveness Comments

Cost of making Rs. 9,14, 40,000 Rs. 1,13,70000 Rs. 8,00,70,000 In case of CBFL Urdu at Siasat 40
1,20,000 centres, the cost incurred at Rs. 30
persons literate Calc ulations: per literates only (for 9000 students)
as per 112.5 beneficiaries’
Combined ALPs per computer per year.
(Telugu and Urdu) @
Rs. 100 per literate
(for 1,11,000 persons)

1,11,000*100=
1,11,00000

ALP Urdu @ Rs. 30 per

literate at Siasat:

9000 * 30 =
2, 70, 000

Total:
Rs. 1,13,70000

Thus TCS has saved more than Rs. 8 crore on social

cost to the nation by applying the CBFL method, to
achieve the literacy figure of 1, 20,000 people.

Benefits
Does
n not require trained teachers or large-scale
school facilities. People educated using the CBFL
method can themselves become tutors for the next
group.
Quick
n results - It takes just one-thirds of the time
taken by writing-oriented methods.
Flexibility
n to adjust to the learning pace of
individuals. The time frame for learning is flexible.
The learners can use the programme at their own
convenient time, after completing their daily work.
Lower
n dropout rate when compared to other
methods
Can
n be operated on basic Intel 80486 personal
computers, which many IT organisations would be
willing to provide
Can
n effectively supplement and enhance other
existing adult literacy programmes
Teaching
n of pronunciation of words/letters is
more accurate due to the use of multimedia. This is
particularly useful for languages like Tamil, where
the same letter can be pronounced differently
(based on the context).
ADULT LITERACY

Some info on the impact on society is given here.

Table 3: Impact on Society

Parameter Desc ription Qualitative Measure Quantitative Measure

ALP has provided soc ial awareness
Social Awareness
regarding the importance of
education for adults and their
ch ildren.
Through reading, they have
ob tained an awareness of social
issues too.
The largest beneficiaries of the
program are women. They are
participating whole-heartedly in the
literacy classes as learners and
volunteers.
·Awareness, Self belief and ·Wide c overage of 1,20,000
Empowerment persons
·Ability to read Newspapers,
Application forms, Posters on the road;
Announcement bulletin/Notice boards
at the Bus and Railway stations
;General awareness of themselves and
their surroundings; Can correspond
with p eople
·Formation of Women Self Help Groups

They have acquired a heightened

sense of self-awareness and desire to
gain knowled ge on a host of
women’s issues.

Health c are Adult literacy has helped spread
knowledge about health care and
nutrition.
----
·Ability to read medical advertisements
like family planning, HIV awareness,
published by governments has
increased.

Education There are around 9,000 students
who have learnt Urdu through ALP
software at 40 centers in the last 2
years through the Siasat NGO.
·At the NGO Mahita, drop outs who are
·There have been 112.5
learning Urdu through CBFL, are
obtaining formal ed ucation as well. beneficiaries per computer per
year.

Siasat conducts Urdu D ani,

Zabandani and Insha examinations ·At least 30% of the Siasat Urdu
twice a year. These basic courses are Dan i centres use the ALP
d esigned for the learning of Urdu by
non-Urdu people. package.

Since September 2006, 30,407 ·The completion of the course is

candidates appeared for Urdu Dani validated by the exams held
examination and 27,835 have twice a year by Siasat.
passed.

Thus TCS-ALP-Urdu helps the Urdu

Dani people to go in for the
advanced courses like Zabandani
and Insha.

ALP provides dropouts from

mainstream formal ed ucation with a
second chance of becoming
educated.
ADULT LITERACY
Critical Objectives Achieved
§
Reduction in dropout rate and the time required
for learning
To keep the dropout rate low, it was important to
ensure that the learning time was reduced to 30-45
hours. This was critical as a working adult can afford
to spare only that many hours for learning. While the
conventional learning methods take about 9-18
months to achieve results, TCS’ CBFL takes only 45
instruction hours, over 10 to 12 weeks, to enable
learners to recognize patterns and read.
Laying
n the foundation for higher skills
Reading paves the way to learning writing,
arithmetic and other skills. Hence, CBFL focuses first
on developing the learners’ reading ability through
a combination of visual and sound patterns.
Standard
n quality of education for all learners
The education material and primers developed by
the National Literacy Mission (NLM) are used by all
Preraks (the CBFL trainers) at all the CBFL centres.
Multimedia is used to ensure accuracy and
standardisation of pronunciation.
Reaching
n out to the masses
The use of TCS’ freely-available software to
train learners ensures not only higher number
of people trained, but also reusability. Till date,
over 1,20,000 people have been trained with
the help of CBFL.
ADULT LITERACY
Product Information
The CBFL programme teaches reading skills to illiterate
adults, between the ages of 18-50 years, who have not
attended a formal school.
It uses animated graphics and a voiceover to explain
how individual alphabets combine to give structure and
meaning to various words. The settings for the lessons are
visually stimulating and crafted in a manner that learners
can easily relate to.
CBFL is implemented using computers, which deliver the
lessons (via puppet shows) in multimedia form to the
learners. Supplementing computers in this process are
reference textbooks or primers from the National Literacy
Mission (NLM) and State Resource Centres (SRC). TCS has
adopted the NLM approach and has incorporated
content from many of the NLM primers into its courses, as
the NLM Primers are widely tested, readily available, and
highly usable. However, while traditional methods
require more time and resources, as well as dedicated and
well-trained teachers, the CBFL courses speed up the
learning process through scientific, cognitive and
pedagogical learning models.
CBFL Urdu is a special case where TCS has conceived and
developed the educational material on its own, as Urdu
education material was not available with NLM during
this time. CBFL Arabic and the supplementary
educational material are also currently being developed
by TCS.
CBFL leverages the benefits of IT in terms of repeatability,
simultaneous blending of the spoken word and written
language, and an appealing graphical interface.
Apart from the critical multiplier effect (where capable
teachers have been able to manage five to six batches of
CBFL training per day and teachers with little or no
experience have been able to provide above average
instruction), IT has also helped to provide
standardised quality of instruction.
An adult can learn to read, write and perform basic
arithmetic after following 45 hours of instruction. The
duration of these sessions is around 1 to 1.5 hours, and the
sessions are usually conducted thrice a week, over
a period of 10 to 12 weeks.
The total cost of making a person literate using CBFL is
only Rs 100. This solution has the potential to lift our
country's literacy rate in record time: As per our estimates
using CBFL will help achieve a literacy rate of 90% in
about five years.
About Tata Consultancy Services
Tata Consultancy Services is an IT services,
business solutions and outsourcing organization
that delivers real results to global businesses,
ensuring a level of certainty no other firm can
match. TCS offers a consulting-led, integrated
portfolio of IT and IT-enabled services delivered
through its unique Global Network Delivery
TM
Model , recognized as the benchmark of
excellence in software development.
A part of the Tata Group, India’s largest industrial
conglomerate, TCS has over 143,000 of the world's
best trained IT consultants in 42 countries. The
company generated consolidated revenues of
US $6 billion for fiscal year ended 31 March 2009
and is listed on the National Stock Exchange and
Bombay Stock Exchange in India.
For more information, visit us at www.tcs.com.
Contact
The CBFL is developed and implemented by:
TCS Corporate Adult Literacy Program (ALP) Group
Tata Consultancy Services Ltd.
11th Floor, Air India Building, Nariman Point,
Mumbai 400 021, Maharashtra, India
Tel : (022) 6778 9393,
(022) 6778 9378 (Direct)
TCS Design Services M 0809
Fax : (022) 6778 9344
Email : Corporate.CBFL@tcs.com
For more details visit : www.tcs.com/cs
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