Mid Project

Having written a first draft of my essay I now need to refine it. My aim is to structure the essay under the following bullet points:

·         Introduction

·         What makes a person literate?

·         Definitions of Functional Literacy

·         Advantages of Functional Literacy

·         Problems associated with implementing literacy programmes

·         Social benefits of literacy

·         Economic benefits of literacy

·         Importance of adult literacy

·         What actually are the desires of the Nigerian community?

·         Nigerian Case Study

·         Could Functional Literacy programmes be improved further?

·         Conclusion

I have decided to change the title to 'What effects can functional literacy have on economic and social development?' as my research has become increasingly focused on the advantages of functional literacy.

Final Research

My aim now is to find a specific literacy programme in a certain country to research further. In returning to UNESCO, I found some more information as to their goals regarding improvement of world literacy:

 The Literacy Initiative for Empowerment (LIFE) is conceived as a ten-year (2006-2015) strategic framework through which national governments, NGOs, civil society, the private sector, UN agencies, and bilateral and multilateral agencies collectively accelerate literacy efforts in 35 countries where illiteracy poses a critical challenge. As a key operational mechanism for the implementation of the United Nations Literacy Decade (UNLD, 2003-2012), which is led and coordinated by UNESCO, LIFE is an initiative to support countries in achieving a 50 per cent improvement in their adult literacy rates by 2015.  

LIFE is:

• A framework of collaborative action for enhancing and improving national literacy efforts.

• A process in support of literacy which is country-led and country-specific.

• A support mechanism embedded in national policies and strategies.

• An initiative for technical support services and facilitation by UNESCO in the areas of policy, advocacy, partnership, capacity-building and innovation.

I also came across a number of literacy programmes which have been implemented across the globe. http://www.unesco.org/uil/litbase/?menu=4   These could be used as potential case studies for my project.

UNESCO's advice as to how to implement a successful education programme could prove invaluable to my project.

What people can do with literacy often depends on how they learned it. Well-designed programmes will give the best opportunities for learning sustainable literacy skills and using them for meaningful purposes.

Effective and sustainable literacy programmes need various key components:

Relevant content and materials
A literacy programme must respond to changing literacy needs and assimilate to the learner’s environment, circumstances and prior learning, with respect to gender, linguistic and cultural diversity.

Appropriate pedagogical approaches
Children, adolescents and adults learn in different ways and bring different perspectives to literacy instruction. Programmes need to adapt according to learners’ profiles and learning goals. Formal, non-formal or informal approaches may characterize literacy programmes.

Training of literacy personnel
Well-trained facilitators are essential for effective programme delivery. The profile of literacy facilitators needs to be enhanced through effective and systematic pre- and in-service training.

Beyond basic literacy
Literacy is closely linked to development and improving quality of life. It offers the chance to combine other skills training with literacy learning. In addition, learners may acquire a certificate recognizing a level of competencies equivalent to formal schooling.

A literate environment
The sustainability of literacy skills relies on a literate environment. Fostering local writing and the use of ICT and other medias contribute to strengthening the literate environment.

Further data: http://www.uis.unesco.org/literacy/Pages/default.aspx?SPSLanguage=EN 

The Dakar Framework for Action

The Dakar Framework for Action official documentation is available at  http://www.unesco.org/education/efa/ed_for_all/dakfram_eng.shtml

 I have decided to research The Dakar Framework for Action established at the World Education Forum in 2000. This is interesting and valid as it covers a recent period of history and is also looking to the future as the goals are to supposedly be achieved by 2015.

‘This document commits governments to achieving quality basic education for all by 2015, with particular emphasis on girls' schooling and a pledge from donor countries and institutions that "no country seriously committed to basic education will be thwarted in the achievement of this goal by lack of resources.’

Known as the biggest review on education in history...

 ‘The Dakar Framework for Action draws on the results of the global EFA 2000 Assessment involving more than 180 countries. Launched in 1998, this global exercise was the most comprehensive study ever made of basic education. It was carried out by national teams assisted by ten regional advisory groups, comprising UN agencies the World Bank, bilateral donor agencies, development banks and inter-governmental organizations.

Preliminary results were debated at five regional preparatory conferences and a special gathering of the nine high-population countries (E9) between December 1999 and February 2000 (in Johannesburg, South Africa; Bangkok, Thailand; Cairo, Egypt; Recife, Brazil; Warsaw, Poland; and Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic).’

This is what it found...  

‘The assessment revealed a mixed scorecard. The number of children in school soared (from 599 million in 1990 to 681 million in 1998) and many countries were approaching full primary school enrolment for the first time. On the other hand, some 113 million children were out of school, discrimination against girls was widespread and nearly a billion adults – mostly women – were illiterate. The lack of qualified teachers and learning materials was the reality for too many schools.

While the donor community was criticized for dwindling aid commitment, some countries such as Bangladesh, Brazil and Egypt were earmarking close to 6 per cent of their gross national product (GNP) for education. For some African countries, education absorbs up to a third of the national budget, although several of them spend as much on debt repayment as on health and basic education combined.

Disparities in quality were also widespread. Over-conservative systems were out of touch with young people’s needs, in sharp contrast with the plethora of initiatives that successfully adapted learning to local needs or reached out to marginalized populations. New media and virtual networks had also started to shake the dust off education systems.’

This document also looks ahead. The main challenges are seen to be:

o   How to reach out with education to people in Africa and other such regions with HIV/AIDS.

o   How to offer education to increasing numbers of refugees and displaced people.

o   How to help teachers to acquire a new understanding of their role.

o   How to help education overcome poverty.

This information was taken from  http://www.unesco.org/education

The Dakar Framework for Action

‘Educating girls is a development strategy that works.’ Kofi Annan –Dakar World Education conference

UNESCO

Day 3 Research

I have found a website called Oxford Bibliographies Online http://www.oxfordbibliographiesonline.com which features loads of articles on different subject areas. There is one article on functional literacy but unfortunately the rest are not available until October so I will keep checking.

Definition of Functional Literacy

It turns out Functional Literacy was a term coined in the 1960s when UNESCO started to look at the problem of illiteracy in developing countries. Here are some definitions:

o   The definition employed by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics sees functional literacy as a level of reading, writing, and calculation skills sufficient to function in the particular community in which an individual lives.

o   Collins, John W., III, and Nancy Patricia O’Brien, eds. 2003. The Greenwood dictionary of education. Westport, CT: Greenwood defines functional literacy as the minimum needed to meet personal and social needs in general education.

In following up the Jomtien conference of 1990 from David Barton’s article, I came across the United Nations website. The Jomtien Conference took place 5-9 March 1990 and was entitled the World Conference on Education for All. 1990 was also the International Literacy Year.

‘In 1990, the International Literacy Year, about 1,500 delegates from 155 countries met in Thailand, and called upon all countries to universalize adequate basic education. The Conference participants adopted the World Declaration on Education for All and a Framework for Action: Meeting Basic Learning Needs. The Declaration begins by stating that every person child, youth and adult shall be able to benefit from educational opportunities designed to meet their basic learning needs.’

The World Declaration on Education for All was a historic demonstration of the will and commitment of countries to establish in the area of child, adult and family education a new basis for overcoming inequality and generating new opportunities for eradicating poverty. Emphasis was placed not only on access to basic education, but also on the quality of education and actual learning outcomes.

This information talks about how education can overcome poverty. I would like to investigate further impacts of education upon development and I am sure that this in turn could lead to a decrease in poverty. The information also stated that (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and World Bank) all signed on to promote the programme. These could be useful contacts for further information.

‘The International Consultative Forum on Education for All, with its secretariat located at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, was established as an interagency body to guide and monitor follow-up actions to the World Conference in Jomtien.’

Six years later, there was a mid decade Education for All meeting in Amman on 16-19 June 1996.

‘This brought together some 250 decision-makers from 73 countries. Their aim: to assess the advances made since the Jomtien Conference.’

Then in April 2000 (26-28) there was a World Education Forum held in Dakar.  

‘This was the first and most important event in education at the dawn of the new century. By adopting the Dakar Framework for Action, which incorporated the six Regional Frameworks for Action, the Forum participants demonstrated a collective commitment to action to achieve the goals and targets of Education for All by 2015.’

This information was taken from the United Nations website.   www.un.org   

Day 2 Research

Just found a great article written by David Barton. I am now looking at the history of literacy programmes and this gives a good introduction. Maybe I could look at one particular programme of recent years introduced by a large organisation and discuss positives and negatives? I am sure there would be lots of information and opinions out there. These programmes, as discussed in the article, are aimed at improving economic and social development, which is exactly what I want to research further for this project. The article mentions UNESCO and the EWLP and the efforts of the 1960s. However, it also talks of more recent programmes such as REFLECT by Action Aid and World Education projects in Africa and Asia. I think it is important I look at recent developments in the field.

·         NB International Literacy Year 1990 Jomtien Conference, United Nations Literacy decade running until 2012, Education for All

The article mentions how there are many different philosophies on functional literacy and the success of these programmes. Also, how there is still a need for them to improve and adapt.

I definitely need to get focused on my project. I am planning to conduct at least half an hour each day of research for around 4-5 weeks. Hopefully this will give me a good basis for writing my essay in half term.

SMART planning...

SMART stands for:

  S - Specific - the target must say exactly what needs to be learned or done.

  M - Measurable- It must say exactly how this can be measured.

  A - Achievable - The target must not be too hard or too large, better to have several small targets leading to a larger goal.

  R - Realistic - It must be possible to get access to any training, books or help needed to meet the target.

  T - Timed - There should be a set time limit for achieving the target.