Tamil Nadu: Successful 50-year-old women share experience of pursuing adult education

CHENNAI: With Tamil Nadu set to achieve full literacy by 2025, learners from different walks of life, who aced the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Test (FLNAT), revealed on what made them to appear for the exam.

Many told DT Next that the achievement was a liberating experience for them and will encourage many more elders to do so.

A 52-year-old D Vendamani, who was elected as the ward member of Valanthancheri panchayat union from Kancheepuram district in 2022 urban local body election, started attending the classes with her friends, and other women, mostly of the same age to learn the basics.

“I started attending the classes with my friends to be able to read and write the basics of the Tamil language. But, the experience was truly liberating as I gained confidence in appearing for the exam,” said Vendamani, who signs documents instead of thumb impressions.

She urges more elderly people to appear for the test and equip them with the basic knowledge to better themselves and become independent.

Subsequently, D Malathi of M Pudhupalayam of Cuddalore district is another 55-year-old woman who has recently cleared FLNAT.

“I noticed the classes were going on and grew interested. Earlier, I was hesitant to withdraw cash from an ATM or read bus routes, but now I have begun doing these jobs independently,” said Malathi, who is a daily wage worker.

With Malathi, 20 other women have also cleared FLNAT, who are daily wagers, putting into action the knowledge they have gained.

“The candidates were tested on reading and writing in the Tamil language along with basic arithmetic. Besides that, the candidates were also taught critical life skills from ATM usage and reading bus routes and numbers,” said an S Selvakumar, field officer with Directorate of Non-Formal and Adult Education (DNFE).

Meanwhile, as per DNFE data, not just men and women, 36 trans persons from 2022-23 till June 2025 have also cleared FLNAT.