IAEA has prepared a comprehensive baseline survey form — developed in consultation with IAEA members and relevant state bodies. This survey captures basic household-level data from the adopted villages, including demographic details, living conditions, socio-economic status, and awareness levels regarding education, health, sanitation, social welfare, and civic participation. The baseline survey acts as a guideline and pathway for planning future interventions: it helps identify priority areas, address gaps in awareness or services, and tailor programmes to the actual needs of the communities. In effect, it establishes a “before-intervention” snapshot, against which IAEA can monitor progress, measure impact, and ensure that subsequent programmes are sustainable, relevant, and responsive to real grassroots needs.

Community Baseline Survey Questionnaire 

आधारभूत सर्वेक्षण प्रश्रावली

About the Baseline Survey:

The Indian Adult Education Association (IAEA) is committed to working as a national-level body for adult education in India. To take this work forward, IAEA has prepared this baseline survey questionnaire. Its aim is to understand the needs, challenges, and aspirations of adult learners in our communities. The survey will help us tp guide evidence based interventions in areas like health, skills, and literacy (basic, financial and digital).

The purpose of this questionnaire is to collect existing information from the ground to design practical training, capacity-building and support programs. We request each university and department to adopt at least five communities (if not already adopted) and carry out this survey. The data collected will be analysed and used to create targeted interventions that will directly benefit people.

This questionnaire was prepared through a joint effort. On 27 August 2025, IAEA organised an online–offline meeting with 41 universities and departments of adult and continuing education. Many institutions joined, discussed the draft, and shared their feedback. The final version was approved in another meeting held on 27 September 2025, in the presence of:

• Prof. L. Raja, President, IAEA

• Prof. K. Parthasarathy, Former Vice-Chancellor, Tamil Nadu Open University, Chennai

• Prof. S. C. Rai, Dept. of Geography, University of Delhi

• Prof. Rajesh, Director, IAEA

• Dr. Nishat Farooq, Member, IAEA

Through this collective work, IAEA hopes to make adult education in India more responsive, people-centred, and impactful, ensuring that learning truly helps communities live healthier, skilled, and more empowered lives. The expert inputs and compilation of this questionnaire were carried out by Mr. Vivek Kumar Chahar, Ph.D. Scholar, DCEE, University of Delhi, as Research Investigator.

Flow chart of Community Need Assessment  Intervention: