Kozhikode: The Class 10 equivalency non-formal education programme of the Kerala Literacy Mission has become more popular - it has attracted 33 percent more learners this year compared to last year.

With registration having closed on August 31, the classes for the third batch under this non-formal education scheme are set to begin on September 21.

"In the last batch, the enrolment for the programme was 12,712. This year it is around 17,000," N. Jayadevan, director of the Kerala Literacy Mission, told sources.

He said school dropouts were enthusiastically joining the programme. "Those who were successful in the equivalency examination have benefited much from the course. Many got promotion after they qualified in the exam," he said.

One of the key features that attracts learners to the programme is that passing the Class 10 under the scheme makes them eligible to join Class 11 in the formal education system.

"The enthusiasm of learners is evident from the fact that this year around 7,600 joined the programme paying fees from their pocket. Last year this category was much smaller, as many of the learners were sponsored by various agencies."

The enrolment from Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities this year is around 6,000, while learners sponsored by panchayats (village councils) are around 3,000, he said.

Jayadevan said the Literacy Mission has plans to extend their services to cover Malayalis working in other parts of the country and abroad as well.

"In regions like Gulf countries, we are ready to extend our services if institutions there come forward to conduct the course," he said.

The fee for the course is Rs.1,700 and of this, Rs.500 comprises examination fees. Study material are provided free of cost by the Literacy Mission.

For Class 10, there are 10 subjects including a paper on IT. Contact classes for learners are held on holidays and Sundays and every subject has a minimum of 25 hours of teaching. IANS