About the Book :

This book gives a comprehensive view of the development of adult, continuing and non formal education in India. It attempts of provide information on almost all aspects of adult education. While the First Chapter, besides defining the terms of adult, continuing and non formal education, traces the historical development, the Second Chapter is concerned with the National Policy on Adult Education formulated by the Central Government from time to time. The Third Chapter takes up the planning of the adult education trough Five Year Plans (from First to Ninth Plan). The fourth and Fifth Chapters are devoted to the recommendations of the Committees, Commissions, Working Groups and proceedings of the Central Advisory Board and major recommendations made by conferences on Education respectively. The other Chapters (Sixth, Seventh and Eighth) deal with the National Adult Education Programme (1978), the role of the universities and colleges in the development of the programme, importance of research, evaluation and monitoring in this field. The Ninth Chapter highlights the role of adult education in achieving the Women Equality and Empowerment. The last Chapter provides statistics on adult, continuing and non formal education.

About Author :

S.P. Agrawal (b. 1929) was Director, National Social Science Documentation Centre, ICSSR, and Member Secretary, Indian Association of Social Science Institutions. He was also the Vice-Chairman of the Asia and Pacific Information Network in Social Sciences (APINESS). In 1988 he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education (Honoris Causa) by International University Foundation. Presently, he is Member, Round Table on Research in Reading, IFLA, and Member, International Committee for Social Science Information and Documentation. He is also Member of Board of Studies of National Archives of India and Hindi Advisory Committee, Ministry of Coal, Government of India. Born and brought up in the cradle of freedom movement which he joined at the tender age of twelve, he gained an insight into political problems and 'developed a sense of responsibility which bore fruit as an information scientist committed to Gandhiji's philosophy and action-plan in the field and its social concept. He. has written extensively on various aspects of education, Indian Polity and library and information science.

Mithilesh Gupta (b. 1934) did her M.A. (Political Science) from Aligarh Muslim University, and B. Ed. From B.R. Ambedkar University, Agra. She was awarded Best Teacher Award by Indian Council of Child Education, New Delhi. She has been assisting S.P. Agrawal in his writing work, in Political Science and Education in particular since 1957.

M.W.K. Sherwani former Assistant Educational Adviser,Ministry of Human Resource Development, New Delhi.

Meena Usmani Centre for Womens Development Studies, New Delhi.