UGC-NET – Paper II: Adult Education (Code: 46)
Exam Cycle: June 2026
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COURSE OVERVIEW
Subject Name: ADULT AND CONTINUING EDUCATION AND EXTENSION
Subject Code: 46
Conducting Body: National Testing Agency (NTA)
Paper Type: Paper-II – ADULT AND CONTINUING EDUCATION AND EXTENSION
Total Marks: 200
Total Questions: 100 MCQs
Mode: Computer Based Test (CBT)
Duration: 3 Hours (Paper I + II)
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LIST OF UNITS
Unit I: ADULT, CONTINUING EDUCATION & EXTENSION: INDIAN AND GLOBAL CONTEXTS
Unit II: THEORETICAL AND FUNCTIONAL BASE OF ADULT EDUCATION
Unit III: ALTERNATE LEARNING SYSTEMS
Unit IV: CURRICULUM PLANNING AND TEACHING-LEARNING MATERIALS
Unit V: HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN LIFELONG LEARNING & EXTENSION
Unit VI: COMMUNICATION FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Unit VII: SOCIAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL CONCERNS
Unit VIII: VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT
Unit IX: RESEARCH AND RESEARCH METHODS
Unit X: LIFELONG LEARNING : THE FUTURISTIC VISION
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UNIT-WISE DETAILED SYLLABUS EXTRACTION
Unit I: ADULT, CONTINUING EDUCATION & EXTENSION: INDIAN AND GLOBAL CONTEXTS
Topic 1: Adult, Continuing Education: Pre And Post Independent India
Topic 2: Adult Education Perspectives: Asian, Latin American, European and American
Topic 3: Extension Education and Services in India: Phases and Movements
Topic 4: Extension as “Third Dimension” of Higher Education, New approaches in Extension Education and Services in India, National Open school, Field organisation practices
Topic 5: Need, concept, types and characteristics of Lifelong Learning programmes in India
Topic 6: Opportunities for Lifelong Learning and Extension
Topic 7: Agencies in Lifelong Learning in and outside India
Topic 8: Comparative Studies in Adult Education: Parameters, Trends and Analysis
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Unit II: THEORETICAL AND FUNCTIONAL BASE OF ADULT EDUCATION
Topic 1: Liberal, Behaviouristic, Progressive, Humanistic, Radical and Analytical approaches of Adult Education
Topic 2: Social and educational perspectives of Tagore, Gandhi, Vivekananda, Radhakrishnan, Ambedkar and other Indian thinkers
Topic 3: Androgogy and Pedagogy
Topic 4: Attributes and distinctive features of adult learning and development
Topic 5: Motivational aspects of adult learning, values in Adult Education, and challenges of contemporary society
Topic 6: Individual Vs. Group learning approaches in Adult Education
Topic 7: Experiences and learning from agriculture, home science, community health and technology
Topic 8: Learning needs of diverse group of adult learners
Topic 9: Theories of adult learning
Topic 10: Professionalization of adult education
Topic 11: Prior learning: Concept, issues and challenges, Equivalence and academic credit for continuing education courses
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Unit III: ALTERNATE LEARNING SYSTEMS
Topic 1: Education: Status, challenges and alternatives
Topic 2: Guidance and counselling: Individual and group counselling
Topic 3: Emergence of distance learning, autonomous learning and online learning
Topic 4: Transformational learning: Use of different media in education, ICT, World wide Web, Mobile technologies, multimedia packages, Computer Aided Learning (CAL), Audio-visual aids
Topic 5: Digital India, Swayam, MOOC courses, UDAAN, e-library
Topic 6: Virtual learners and virtual learning centers
Topic 7: ICT in handling information: storage, retrieval and dissemination of information
Topic 8: Online teaching, challenges and benefits of online learning
Topic 9: Differentiated instructions in an online environment
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Unit IV: CURRICULUM PLANNING AND TEACHING-LEARNING MATERIALS
Topic 1: Meaning, definition of curriculum: need for curriculum, curriculum theory and practice
Topic 2: Identification of needs and interests of lifelong learners
Topic 3: Objectives of curriculum development
Topic 4: Principles of curriculum development and its approaches
Topic 5: Curriculum planning: need and implementation
Topic 6: Evaluation: process-product-feedback mechanism
Topic 7: Curriculum development-supporting systems
Topic 8: Teaching methods
Topic 9: Teaching and learning materials and aids for Lifelong Learning
Topic 10: Preparation of books and audio visual material for neo-literates: processes, contents and field testing of materials
Topic 11: Agencies engaged in preparation of materials, type of teaching-learning materials: print, on-line and off-line
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Unit V: HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN LIFELONG LEARNING AND EXTENSION
Topic 1: Concept, principles and functions of management
Topic 2: Programme planning, organisation and control
Topic 3: Job specifications of personnel engaged in University-community engagement, Skill development, Continuing education & other extension programmes
Topic 4: Training and development: Family-based, Off the job & on the job
Topic 5: Training of functionaries in adult, continuing education, lifelong education through participatory approach
Topic 6: Skill development initiatives : State-promoted, NGO-promoted and Public Private Partnerships (PPP)
Topic 7: Field skills, teaching methods of adults, training methods for training for functionaries
Topic 8: Management of a training programme
Topic 9: Evaluation of social development programmes
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Unit VI: COMMUNICATION FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Topic 1: Concept, methods and practices of communication
Topic 2: Models: agriculture, community health, educational and social marketing
Topic 3: Modes of communication; conventional and ICT-driven
Topic 4: People’s participation in development
Topic 5: People’s organisation (community based organisation, state promoted organisation)
Topic 6: Programmes: individual centric and group centric
Topic 7: Development communication planning and operationalization
Topic 8: Emerging technologies in communication for social development
Topic 9: Communication in extension: government, semi-government, non-government, corporate agencies etc,
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Unit VII: SOCIAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL CONCERNS
Topic 1: Development and its indicators, Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Topic 2: Population Education: Concept and paradigm shifts
Topic 3: Social and distributive justice
Topic 4: Issues of marginalization and pedagogy: women, tribals, minorities, transgender, aged and persons with disability
Topic 5: Value based education
Topic 6: Inequality in social system and social mobility,
Topic 7: Interventions in specific concern areas of children, bonded labour and gender
Topic 8: Interventions in general areas of concern: water, health, energy, disaster and environment
Topic 9: Social and professional ethics
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Unit VIII: VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT
Topic 1: Concept, scope, policy and programmes of vocational education and skill development
Topic 2: Market requirements and skilling status
Topic 3: Operationalization of the concept of vocational education in adult, continuing education and Lifelong Learning through state supported structures like Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS) and non state supported structures of Industrial and Bussiness houses.
Topic 4: Emergence of Micro-enterprises like Self Help groups and Mega-enterprises like SEWA
Topic 5: Skilling India: Skill sectors, National Skill Development policy, programme, and implementation mechanism.
Topic 6: Structure of skilling programmes, certification and equivalence
Topic 7: Make-In India, Start-up, Stand Up, Mudra Banks, Entrepreneurship
Topic 8: Analysis of such efforts at micro and mega level.
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Unit IX: RESEARCH AND RESEARCH METHODS
Topic 1: Philosophical Roots, history, elements and significance of social science research
Topic 2: Qualitative and quantitative action research
Topic 3: Research Design: Meaning and Types; Descriptive, Analytical, Exploratory, Basic, Applied, Action, Survey and case study research
Topic 4: Sources of data: primary and secondary
Topic 5: Collection of Secondary Data: Historical Documents, Archival Material, Published Sources, Journals, Internet Sources, Census, NSS and Statistical Reports.
Topic 6: Population and Sampling, Data Collection and its tools, organisation of research, analysis, generalization and report writing
Topic 7: Documentation and dissemination of the research work
Topic 8: Content Analysis, Survey and Case studies
Topic 9: Currents trends of research in adult and continuing education (national and international)
Topic 10: Emerging areas of research in adult and continuing education and extension,
Topic 11: Ethical concerns in social science research
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Unit X: LIFELONG LEARNING: THE FUTURISTIC VISION
Topic 1: Beyond literacy and numeracy
Topic 2: Resolving the dilemmas of institutional and non-institutional learning
Topic 3: Localising the learning and cultural context of a learner
Topic 4: Harmonizing the skills of individuals with the potential employers
Topic 5: Personalised and customised educational opportunities of adult learner
Topic 6: Network based learning
Topic 7: Open option based learning
Topic 8: Building learning communities
Topic 9: Search for an ever-evolving educational policy
Topic 10: Towards a learning society
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EXAM STRUCTURE (Verbatim or Standard)
Paper-II: Subject Specific Examination
Total Questions: 100
Total Marks: 200
Question Type: MCQ Only
Negative Marking: No
Duration: 3 Hours (Combined)
Additional Notes:
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SYLLABUS SUMMARY (Auto-generated)
Total Units: 10
Total Topics: 86
Subject: ADULT AND CONTINUING EDUCATION AND EXTENSION
Subject Code: 46
Exam Category: UGC-NET Paper-II
“As per latest official syllabus.”