Moving towards universal literacy in E9 countries Following up on the Abuja Framework for Action, 2010

1. Moving towards universal literacy in E9 countriesFollowing up on the Abuja Framework for Action, 2010 The Ninth E-9 Ministerial Review Meeting, New Delhi, India, 9-10 November 2012

2. About this presentation This presentation is based on the National Progress Reports received from Nigeria, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Mexico , Brazil and Egypt. The data on literacy rates is based on UIS database and the statistics furnished by the E-9 countries in their progress reports. The presentation follows the structure adopted in the Abuja Framework for Action,2010. It maps out broad trends and progress made during the last two years based only on the seven country reports received.

3. The good news:There are fewer non literates in E9 countries today as compared to 1990 and 2000

4. The challenges remain as we race to the finish line

5. The framework that guided our actions during the last two years

6. 2010-2012 The progress so far

7. There is a stronger commitment to literacy • New laws are being enacted, old laws are being implemented • National Education Policy, 2009 of Pakistan • One of the aims: Literacy rate shall be increased up to 86% by 2015 • Right to Education Act enacted in India in 2010 giving impetus to universalizing primary education • Fundamental Principles of State Policy in Bangladesh Constitution talk of ‘removing illiteracy’ and new law on Non Formal Education is on the anvil • The National Action Plan aims to reach 100% literacy rate by 2014 • Programmes have been launched in India, Egypt, Brazil and Nigeria and planned to be launched in, Bangladesh, Mexico and Pakistan • Intensive advocacy efforts in all countries: • 2010 and 2011 declared as National Literacy years by the Prime Minister of Pakistan • Mass mobilization and community level action, literacy song and literacy flag (India) • Literacy ambassadors initiative: involving legislators in setting up Community Literacy Centres (CLC) (Nigeria) • Session of Parliamentarians on literacy in Pakistan • 30 minute weekly programme on literacy on Nigerian national TV • Media campaigns in Egyptian villages

8. Almost all the countries are scaling up literacy programmes • Egypt’s National Literacy Campaign launched in September 2011 • Nigeria has launched a programme for revitalizing adult and youth literacy and is to launch a literacy campaign in November 2012. • Saakshar Bharat Mission launched by the Prime Minister of India in 2009 aims to achieve 80% literacy rate by imparting literacy skills to 70 million non-literates out of which 60 million are women • Mexico has an action plan to cover indigenous populations and reduce the illiteracy rate to 5.5 % from the current 6.9% by 2015 • The ‘Literate Brazil programme’ targets to reduce illiteracy rate from the current 9.62% to 6.5% by 2015 • In Pakistan, National Commission for Human Development(NCHD) established 83,599 adult education centres and imparted literacy skills to around 2 million learners during the last 3 years and has a three pronged strategy: • Enhance literacy rate in under-developed districts(57 districts with less than 50 % literacy) • Involvement of provincial stakeholders to play their role • Ensure 100% enrollment and reducing dropout rate in primary education at the level below 10 %

9. Programme delivery is improving • Focus is on equity: reaching out to women, girls, marginalized, rural, indigenous populations and low literacy areas • India’s focus in the literacy programme is mainly on rural women • Egypt’s specific strategies for improving women literacy in its National Campaign • Nigeria’s model centres for girls and the development of primers in 22 minority languages in Nigeria • Mexico’s focus on the learning needs of illiterate indigenous groups • All the countries are looking at literacy across the lifespan and are, therefore, integrating literacy learning in school and literacy acquired by youth and adults in non-formal settings • The quality of literacy materials and their delivery is being monitored • Literacy is being linked to income generation and vocational skill development • Multi-functional Community Learning Centres are being set up • Capacity buildingof instructors and other personnel: Now, an integral part of all the plans

10. Decentralized implementation and more community involvement • Implementation is increasingly being decentralized • Pakistan’s devolution of management to provincial level with oversight by the National Commission for Human Development • India’s decentralized approach actively involving local governments under the direction of the National Literacy Mission • Nigeria’s Community based management committees (CBMC) under the direction of the National Mass Education Commission • The partnership base is being widened: Programmesimplemented increasingly with support and active involvement of NGOs, CBOs and private sector companies • For example: Non governmental Association for Literacy Support Services (NOGALSS) in Nigeria, Corporate houses in India, NGOs like Dhaka Ahsania Mission in Bangladesh and Buniyad in Pakistan

11. Assessment, accreditation, certification and equivalency systems are being put in place • India has put in place a systematic assessment of literacy outcomes: • National Institute of Open Schooling, India assesses literacy skills as well as general awareness and empowerment through participation in various activities.14,438,004 learners have been certified as literate • Building bridges between formal, non-formal and informal learning • National qualification framework being developed integrating formal, non formal and informal learning(Nigeria) • Equivalency frameworks are in place in quite a few countries like Nigeria, India and Bangladesh • For example, in Nigeria, adult learners could join Junior Secondary Schools after completion of the literacy course

12. Many countries are exploring new resources for literacy • Augmenting state funding: • The budget for Adult education in India has gone up from US$250 million(2002-2007) to US$1.2billion(2007-12) • Private sector participation • Private sector establishing literacy centres • New mechanisms • Launch of Mass Literacy Trust funds ( Nigeria, Egypt) • Community organizations, philanthropists • Voluntary community donations(Pakistan) • Businessmen forum(Egypt)

13. E-9 has emerged as a useful platform for sharing knowledge and accelerating action • Sharing of experiences: Workshops hosted by Indonesia, India, China and Nigeria • Possible collaboration: • For example: Nigeria with Indonesia and India in the use of ICTs for literacy delivery • Many such collaborative arrangements can be thought of • Twinning between E-9 and other countries: An idea that has been mooted but yet to take a concrete shape • A new institutional base for E9 collaborative efforts: • India’s proposal for setting up an International Centre for policy research and training in adult education to promote adult education in E9 and SAARC countries

14. Let us, together, make a difference 525 million out of the total non-literate population of 775 million are in the E9 countries which translates to two thirds of the world’s problem of illiteracy We should strengthen our collaborative endeavour and become a learning community of practice The High level International Round Table on Literacy held on 6-7 September this year at UNESCO headquarters brought together 41 countries including the E-9 countries that have high literacy challenges The Paris Communiqué on scaling up literacy was endorsed by all the countries participating in the Round Table. 35 countries have shared their action plans to scale up literacy in the next three years

15. Conclusion • We have made progress but there seems to be a lot more to be done • What is required now is to prioritize literacy in each of our countries, take decisive action on ground and establish a sustainable system of literacy learning • Equally important is the need to harness additional resources both from within our countries and also from organizations like Global Partnership for Education • Let us make this mission happen.

16. Thank you for your attention