Adult education is the method of imparting education to the adult and elderly people who failed to receive their basic education during their childhood. The attempt of imparting adult education in India has come into the spot light over the past several years. Adult education is the major step in building an educated nation. The foremost thing to do before holding classes on adult education is that the adult must realize the importance of education otherwise they won’t understand the need for education. Education is one of the building blocks for making a nation strong. Therefore adult education is encouraged on a large scale in the India. This education is mainly provided at night schools and it is found almost all Indian cities and villages. This education is imparted at night because most of the people are busy working with their respective jobs during the day.
In addition to the night schools, the Government of India had also set up some libraries so that the adults could get more facilities.
Adult education is the prime responsibility of the Government, as the eradication of illiteracy has been one of the major national concerns of the Government of India since independence. In 1952 the government under the community development programme, launched the programme of social education. Recently the government has launched the programme known as National Literacy Mission (NLM) for spreading adult education in India. The main aim of this programme is to spread literacy, extension, general education and social consciousness.
Various plans have been made for providing adult education in India.
The government has established model community centres, rural libraries, Janata Colleges, youth clubs, mahila mandals and folk schools, for spreading adult education. The Council for Rural Higher Education was established and a Standing Committee of the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) on Social Education. The government also started a National Fundamental Education Centre for providing high-level training facilities to the adults. It is true that democracy without education is meaningless. Education can only raise a nation to the height of its innate ability to grow to greatness. Unluckily the state of education in India is not only distressing but disgraceful also as presently about 60% of people in India are illiterate. Compulsory and free primary education is the only remedy to the problem of illiteracy. Adult education is required because it is a powerful support and a necessary motivation to primary education. Without the active support of adults no program of compulsory universal education can become successful. Hence it is very important that educational facilities should be provided to adults.
Adult education is the education for grown up men and women who are above eighteen years. It includes all activities with an educational purpose which they can later use to pursue as a career. Adult education is given on a part-time basis; therefore one can work can take up a regular job simultaneously. Maulana Azad re- framed the concept of Adult education for preparing every citizen to lead independent life. So, he renamed Adult education as ‘Social Education’. In our country, adult education is imparted in two aspects: (1) Adult Literacy i.e. education for those adults who never had schooling before; and, (2) Continuation education i.e. education for those adults who had some schooling before.