While schools focus on individual learner development, community education should focus on the quality of life in communities. Two research projects are in progress with the purpose of exploring out-of-school learning, particularly for disenfranchised populations, and aimed at community concerns. One is the development of a referencing system that…

The author defines literacy as a communication skill and argues that India's national adult education program should promote vernacular literacy rather than standard language literacy, using the traditional vernacular oral communication channels with writing as an extension of but not a replacement for the oral mode. (MF)

An attempt to integrate socioeconomic development with literacy through nonformal education programs in Kerala, India, involved illiterate and semi-literate adults (1050 men, 450 women) in two pilot literacy projects organized by the Sanghom (library organization), Mitraniketan, and state government. Two literacy primers were developed, using an…