Part II.pdf - MTB-MLE Network

Community consultation and decision-making during the process of orthography development is
also crucial. The written language is just as much a part of a community’s cultural identity as is
its oral form. In the reports from Bangladesh, Thailand and India, we see that community involvement
in the development of an appropriate writing system was significant. Though time-consuming,
this investment in time inevitably reaps rewards in terms of the community choosing to own and
accept the written form of their language.
The reports reflect that mobilization, recruitment, identification of co-ordinators/supervisors and
training occur most effectively when respected community leaders identify those who will take
significant programme roles.
Literature production approaches
The country report from Thailand outlines in detail the processes involved in the participative
production of teaching and learning materials. Building on a solid foundation of rigorous linguistic
research, the project planners worked carefully together with the community to make appropriate
choices regarding the writing system to be used, and options for representing sounds that had no
parallel in the Thai language. Then, with community participation, stories and texts were written
to both test the writing system and provide reading material for pilot classes. Locally produced
materials or teaching/learning materials that are student generated are more likely to reflect the
context and needs of the learners. Materials that are translated from the national language or materials
that are adapted from other cultural contexts and modified for use in a bilingual literacy programme
should be assessed carefully for their suitability. A review of the country reports shows that both
approaches have been tried within the UNESCO-APPEAL project. As the literacy programmes
continue, it will be helpful for participating countries to evaluate the effectiveness of materials that
they have created.
Links with other agencies and existing programmes
A link between literacy programmes and other development efforts emphasizes the principle of
immediacy in programme design. Adult learners want to be able to use what they have learned to
improve their lives. The report from the Chinese programme among the Lahu shows that there
has been particular thought given to poverty alleviation by structuring the programme to help meet
the economic needs of the participants.
Within the Philippine report, links to established educational assessment programmes are mentioned
that give accreditation to learners. Such recognition is often an incentive for learners to participate
in non-formal education programmes.
Within programme development, contributions from the academic sector (linguists and
anthropologists), universities and other agencies complement the work done at local and government
levels. Within the preliminary baseline research that informs programme development, it is helpful
to analyse the agencies that have a concern/involvement in a community’s language development
activities.
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