literacy for life; EFA global monitoring report, 2006 - Institut de ...

0
6
0
66 / CHAPTER 2
2
Education for All Global Monitoring Report
Figure 2.28: Estimated adult literacy rates (15+): 1990, 2000—2004 and 2015 target
Adult literacy rate (%)
100
80
60
40
20
0
Niger
Chad
Senegal
Benin
Ethiopia
Mozambique
Côte d’Ivoire
C. A. R.
Togo
Ghana
Liberia
Comoros
Burundi
Rwanda
Malawi
D. R. Congo
Nigeria
Cameroon
Uganda
U. R. Tanzania
Madagascar
Cape Verde
Botswana
Swaziland
Lesotho
South Africa
Congo
Kenya
Mauritius
Namibia
Zimbabwe
1990 2000–2004 2015 target
Box 2.3
Sub-Saharan Africa
Measuring progress towards the adult literacy target
Early formulations of the literacy goal by the
international community were organized around
a reduction of adult illiteracy. Paragraph 8 of the
1990 Jomtien Framework for Action suggested
‘targets’ that ‘countries may wish to set … for the
1990s’, including one for illiteracy: ‘Reduction of the
adult illiteracy rate (the appropriate age group to
be determined in each country) to, say, one-half its
1990 level by the year 2000, with sufficient
emphasis on female literacy to significantly reduce
the current disparity between male and female
illiteracy rates.’ In 2000, however, the goal included
in the Dakar Framework for Action adopted by the
World Education Forum read: ‘Achieving a 50 per
cent improvement in levels of adult literacy by
2015, especially for women, and equitable access
to basic and continuing education for all adults.’
Thus interpreted, though, the goal would mean
(as the EFA Global Monitoring Report 2003/4
explained) that countries with adult literacy rates
below 66% would aim to increase their rates by
50% by 2015 while countries with literacy rates
above 66% would aim to reach universal literacy
by 2015, which does not correspond to the EFA goal
and may be unrealistic. Concerning the practicality
of the Dakar literacy goal, the following passage
from UNESCO’s first publication of international
literacy statistics is relevant: ‘Both theoretically
Arab States
Mauritania
Yemen
Morocco
Egypt
Sudan
Algeria
Tunisia
Oman
U. A. Emirates
Saudi Arabia
Libyan A. J.
Syrian A. R.
Kuwait
Qatar
Bahrain
Jordan
Notes: The 2015 targets are calculated on the basis of illiteracy rates reduced by 50% (see Box 2.4). Countries for which data are available for both 1990 and 2000–2004 are included,
except those with literacy rates of 95% and above in 2000–2004. See source table for detailed country notes.
Source: Statistical annex, Table 2A.
and practically, it is not possible to maintain
indefinitely any relative rate of progress based
on increase in percentage of literacy, for eventually
the maximum limit of 100 per cent would be
reached where no further progress is possible.
On the other hand, any given rate of progress
based on the reduction in the percentage of
illiteracy can be maintained indefinitely, for the
limit of zero per cent is approached but never
actually reached. This agrees with the practical
situation in regard to illiteracy, where there will
always be an irreducible minimum percentage of
illiterates in any given country or population age
group’ (UNESCO, 1953). To allow the monitoring
of progress towards the literacy target for all
countries, whatever their literacy level, the Global
Monitoring Report Team has chosen, therefore,
to measure progress in terms of reduction in
the rate of adult illiteracy, in accordance with
the earlier formulation of the literacy goal: halving
the level of illiteracy, rather than improving levels
of adult literacy by 50%. It should be recognized,
however, that this interpretation implies that
the greatest effort is required of the countries
with the lowest levels of literacy, a point that
demonstrates the difficulty of setting realistic
and relevant targets.