Chapter 2. Progress towards the EFA goals - Unesco

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CHAPTER 2
Education for All Global Monitoring Report
Large-scale
programmes
in Brazil, India
and the Islamic
Republic of Iran
are delivering
positive results
governments recognizing that ‘literacy is crucial
to the acquisition, by every child, youth and adult,
of essential life skills that enable them to address
the challenges they can face in life, and represents
an essential step in basic education’ (United
Nations, 2002, p. 2). While development decades
come and go, usually without meaningful impact,
the literacy decade has given rise to intensive
regional discussions and raised the profile of the
illiteracy problem (Robinson, 2009; UNESCO,
2008b). The International Conference on Adult
Education scheduled for late 2009 (CONFINTEA VI)
provides an opportunity to move from international
dialogue to international action.
Literacy continues to receive insufficient attention
at many levels. It is not treated as a political
priority, it receives insufficient financial
commitment and efforts to incorporate strategies
for literacy into wider poverty reduction plans
remain underdeveloped (Caillods and Hallak, 2004;
Giffard-Lindsay, 2008; Lindt, 2008). Even so, some
governments have demonstrated through practical
action that national programmes deliver results.
Others have increased financing commitments
for literacy. And a vast array of partnerships and
approaches are now promoting literacy at the
community level (Oxenham, 2008).
Some governments have openly acknowledged
that neglect of literacy was a serious policy failure
(Lindt, 2008). One of the most far-reaching efforts
to correct that failure is the Literate Brazil
Programme (Box 2.21). In the Islamic Republic
of Iran, community learning centres initiated by
the Literacy Movement Organization, a government
agency, have enrolled 3.1 million illiterates from
2000 to 2006 in preliminary basic education
courses. Around three-quarters of those enrolled
successfully complete their courses (Richmond
et al., 2008). In Burkina Faso, the government has
adopted the bold target of increasing adult literacy
rates from 28% to 40% by 2010. That target has
been backed by an increase in the share of the
education budget allocated to literacy from 1% to
7% – a move that has facilitated the expansion of
permanent literacy training centres and centres
for non-formal basic education. Graduation from
these centres grew by 24% from 2003 to 2007
(Richmond et al., 2008).
Another example comes from India, where the
National Literacy Mission, launched in 1988, has
been revitalized. The eleventh five-year plan, which
ends in 2012, has quintupled the mission’s budget
to the equivalent of US$21 billion. Programmes
have been redesigned to provide an integrated
approach that combines initial literacy training
with ongoing post-literacy courses.
Decentralization is transferring authority to states
and districts, and a much stronger commitment
has been made to preparing literacy materials in
local languages. In 2009, the Government of India
also signaled a stronger focus on gender and
equity, first by recasting the National Literacy
Mission as the National Female Literacy Mission
and then by announcing a strategy for targeting.
Commitments have been made to ensure that
85% of targeted beneficiaries will be women and
that 50% will come from scheduled castes, tribes
and minorities, with a focus on Muslims (India
Ministry of Human Resource Development, 2009).
Slow progress in improving literacy is sometimes
cited as evidence that little can be done for older
generations. There is extensive evidence, however,
of problems with past approaches to raising
literacy. For two or three decades after 1960,
many governments attempted to combat illiteracy
through top-down courses that were ill suited
to the lives of the intended beneficiaries, badly
designed and offered no follow-up. Dropout rates
were high and literacy acquisition limited. The
needs of indigenous people and minority language
groups were often ignored. Literacy programmes
have mirrored schools in denying people an
opportunity to learn in their local language,
diminishing the perceived value of their culture
in the process.
Shortcomings persist in national programmes,
particularly in targeting. Literacy initiatives often
focus on youth and young adults, with insufficient
attention paid to older people – especially
women – who represent the bulk of the illiterate
population. India’s and Brazil’s programmes
principally target people under 30 (India Ministry
of Human Resource Development and National
University of Educational Planning and
Administration, 2008). Reaching older illiterates
can be difficult, but far more could be done to
extend opportunities through livelihood-based
literacy programmes.
Financing is another area of concern. It is
encouraging that more governments are adopting
bold targets, but those targets are seldom backed
by adequate budget support. It is not uncommon
for literacy to account for as little as 1% to
2% of total education spending (Lindt, 2008).
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