Planned to be a mass programme, the national Adult Education programme (NAEP), though, remained a usual centre-based programme, which was moreover honorarium based, hierarchical and government-funded and government controlled. Since against the target of 100 million, a total of 44.22 million learners were enrolled in adult teaching centres in different years up to march 1988. On the basis of sample evaluation studies, it has been estimated that about 45 percent of the enrolled learners attained literacy. The centre-based programme was review and evaluated by several institutes of social science research and shortly, the government of India also selected a review committee headed by prof.D.S Kothari to review the strengths the NAEP as revealed throughout different evaluation.                     
Strengths:
 1. Women’s inspiration and contribution has been very high.

 2. Reporting of weaker sector of the society (SCs and STs) was  higher than the target.

 3. The project approach to organization adopted for adult education programme is      practical.

 4. The worth of teaching-learning materials is prepared by the National Resource Centre      and the State Resource Centre was  establishing to be positive.

 5. The programme worked fine where particular employment  procedures were adopted.

Weakness:
  1. Class of training of the functionaries was poor.

  2. The education surroundings in the adult education centers were  poor.

  3. Mass media did not offer significant support.

  4. Voluntary agencies did not recognize willing support from State  Governments. 

  5. The available events for their attachment were hopeless.

  6. There was no relation between basic literacy, post-literacy, follow-up and continuing       education, resulting in the relapse of huge  number of neo-literates into illiteracy.

  7. Success levels of literacy were under the desired stage.

  8. Preparation of adult education functionaries at all levels lacked participatory and       communicative skill.

  9. Political and administrative support of the state governments and the Panchayati Raj       organization was not helpful.

National Literacy Mission (NLM) has been conceptualized and built on an objective assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the previous programmes emanating from the evaluation study reports.   The construction of a mission for literacy symbolize a national political commitment on the need to harness social forces and channelise the energies of people towards meeting the final objective of effecting a qualitative modify in their own life. Conceptually, the mission focuses on:

1. A latest sense of urgency, seriousness and emphasis with permanent goals, clear time-    frame and age-specific target groups.

2. Firm belief that adults can be complete literate according to certain pre-determined     norms within a fixed time limit (200 hours) and that  it not too late to learn.

3. Importance on the close nexus between literacy of adult parents  and enrolment of school     leaving children, on the one hand, and  literacy and infant mortality; immunization and     infant mortality,immunization and child care on the other.

4. A Particular task which believes that literacy is not the anxiety of the one ministry or     section or agency but is the concern of the entire nation and all sector of society.

5. Importance on institutionalization of post-literacy and lifelong  education in a big way.

6.  A skill mission also in the sense that besides emphasis on development of     teaching/learning environment, it lays stress on perfection in the content and process of     teaching-learning on a  continuing basis.

7. Picture formation of an effective mission management system to  ensure achievement of     the mission objectives within a broad framework of flexibility, delegation, decentralization     and  accountability.

8. Emphasis not on mere enrolment of learners but on achievement of definite     predetermined norms and parameters of literacy, numeracy, functionality and awareness.