Community-based adult education to fisher women of Rajapalyam fishing village, India - Research report

Oct 15, 2026

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Community-based adult education was introduced for fisherwomen in Rajapalyam fishing village on the Gulf of Mannar coast in southeast India to improve literacy, strengthen environmental awareness, and enhance livelihoods. The study describes the village context, including geography, population characteristics, and initial constraints such as low literacy and limited local services. It outlines objectives focusing on interviews, understanding women’s roles in Self-Help Groups, and delivering adult education to support sustainable community development.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages4

Reading Time10 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Objectives

Profile of the village and villagers

Research report

398 Janet MacLennan Australian Journal of Adult Learning Volume 48, Number 2, July 2008 are as human beings. I ask you to also picture me, today, living in the Caribbean and taking every opportunity to SCUBA dive, sharing that underwater world I love, playing around vibrant fish and turtles and rays and sharks and an occasional octopus. I did the thing I thought I could not do, but my list of the impossible goes on. And you? “We can’t become what we need tobe by remaining what we are.”(Oprah Winfrey) Reference Brookfield, S D (1995), Becoming a critically reflective teacher, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. About the author Dr. MacLennan, Associate Professor of Communication at the University of Puerto Rico, is currently working on two projects: communication about sex in relationships; religion in the communication classroom. Her most recent experience of doing the thing she thought she could not do involves practising the dynamic Brazilian martial art of capoeira. Despite all her anxieties and fears, she fell so much in love with the movements and rhythms of capoeira that she found herself in the best shape of her life. Thus, in the summer of 2007 when she broke her neck in a car accident, she accredited her avoidance of paralysis and speedy recovery to this continuous adult journey of learning. Contact details University of Puerto Rico, College of Humanities, Department of English, PO Box 23356, San Juan, PR 00931-3356 Tel: 939-645-4148 Email: [jmaclennan@uprrp.edu](jmaclennan@uprrp.edu) RESEARCH REPORT | Community-based adult education for the fisherwomen of Rajapalyam fishing village in Tuticorin, southeast coast of India
Jamila Patterson1, Eva Lindén², Christin Bierbrier3, Inger Löfgren4 and J. K. Patterson Edward5
1, 5 Suganthi Devason Marine Research Institute, Tuticorin, India
2,3 Nyköpings Folkhöskola, Stockholm, Sweden
4 Lagman Linds v. 4A, 18279 Stocksund, Sweden | | --- | | Rajapalyam village is located in the Tuticorin district along the biodiversity rich Gulf of Mannar coast in southeastern India. The people of this village are economically backward and most of the men are engaged in fishing. The fisherwomen of this village are less literate than the men, or illiterate. Adult education has been introduced to the women of this village in order to enhance their literacy level, environmental awareness and livelihood. Within avery short period, the women have improved themselves greatly through learning and are now demonstrating the importance and necessity of education to neighbouring villages. | 400 Jamila Patterson, Eva Lindén, Christin Bierbrier, Inger Löfgren and J. K. Patterson Edward Community-based adult education to fisher women of Rajapalyam fishing village, India 401 Introduction Rajapalyam fishing village is geographically located about nine kilometers north of Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu, India and along the biodiversity rich Gulf of Mannar coast. The Gulf of Mannar is the first Marine Biosphere Reserve in India, declared in 1989 by the Government of India. The village has a two-kilometre coastline where the fishery-related activities are carried out. One of the 21 islands in the Gulf of Mannar, named Vaan, is located about six kilometres from this village and abounds with a wide variety of flora and fauna including coral reefs and seagrasses. The fishermen of this village are involved in fishing around the Vaan island area. A few years ago, fishermen were involved in coral mining in addition to fishing because of low literacy and lack of awareness. However, after the 2004 tsunami, the villagers have realised the importance of island and coral reefs and hence the local village administration has banned coral mining and the fisherfolk have now completely stopped that (now illegal) practice. Education plays a lead role in enhancing the involvement of community and its livelihood, and also helps in conserving the natural resources for sustainable utilization. It is theref

FAQs

Why was adult education introduced in Rajapalyam village?

To enhance fisherwomen’s literacy, environmental awareness, and livelihoods, and to build capacity through learning for sustainable community development.

What were the study objectives?

The objectives included collecting village information via interviews, understanding women’s roles in Self-Help Groups, and introducing adult education to the women.

What key village characteristics are described?

Rajapalyam is located near Tuticorin along the Gulf of Mannar coast; the population is predominantly Roman Catholic, and the village faces shortcomings such as the absence of a school and a primary health centre, while electricity access is widespread.

Oct 15, 2026

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