Adama Ouane Director UNESCO Institute for Education

1. Adama Ouane Director UNESCO Institute for Education UNESCO Institute for Education www.unesco.org/education/uie ADEA BIENNALE (Libreville, Gabon, 28 – 31 March 2006)Changes and trends: new representations of literacy

2. 1. Present State and Prospects of Literacy Policies & Programmes in Africa: Critical Review & Innovative Approaches What is the reality revealing to us? • Illiteracy is high, even growing (140 million) • 18 out of 25 countries with more than 50% illiteracy rate are in Africa • Growing dichotomies and disparities • Literacy rate between 30 and 90% • Female literacy rate between 20 and 90% • Drop-out rate between 15 and 80% • Youth/Adults • Urban/Rural

3. 1. Present State and Prospects of Literacy Policies & Programmes in Africa: Critical Review & Innovative Approaches • How many are really literate? -- Overall low educational achievements and school life expectancy (10 to 75%)? • Persisting relapse into illiteracy (30-80%) • Lack of literacy practices and conducive environment

4. 1. Present State and Prospects of Literacy Policies & Programmes in Africa: Critical Review & Innovative Approaches • Yet there are achievements in literacy in Africa • The overall literacy rates have doubled since 1970 • Gender parity index has risen from 0,45 to 0,75 • Growing demands for literacy • High population countries have all literacy rates over 60% • New requirements for another literacy / growing & changing demand for literacies • Challenges of globalisation, knowledge economy and ICT

5. 2. The Ruptures, Conditions & Factors for Effective Literacy Programmes 2.1 Main Challenge in Literacy Policies • Lifelong learning for sustainable development • Democratization • Gender Perspective • HIV/AIDS Challenge • Conflicts Prevention • Linguistic & Cultural Policies • Decentralization

6. 2. The Ruptures, Conditions & Factors for Effective Literacy Programmes 2.2 Trends & Factors affecting Grassroots Programmes • Orientation on Demands • Responding to Demands • Focus on Capabilities • Outsourcing • Recognition and Validation of different Learning • Inter-sectoral Coordination

7. 2. The Ruptures, Conditions & Factors for Effective Literacy Programmes 2.3 Conducive Literate Environment • Fruitful Interaction between Literacy, Development and Democracy • Language & Cultural Policies • Linkages between Formal and NFE • Inter-Sectoral Approaches & Collaboration

8. 2. The Ruptures, Conditions & Factors for Effective Literacy Programmes 2.4 Institution Building • Capacity-Building Programmes • Capitalisation • Resourcing • Funding • Partnership Mobilization • Cost-Effective Strategies

9. UNESCO Institute for Education www.unesco.org/education/uie 3. Some Innovative Approaches • REFLECT : Learning for empowerment, participation and community ownership • ABET : Life skills, professionalisation, income generation, access to world of work, etc. • FAIRE-FAIRE „Outsourcing Strategies“ : New distribution of roles, new partnerships, expression of new demands • ARED : Identity affirmation, making of literate communities, emergence of new demands needing literacy transactions

10. 3. Some Innovative Approaches • PEDAGOGY OF THE TEXT : Critical approach and transformative learning for greater access to power and claim for self reliance • ABEP/ACED (Botswana, Namibia) : Focus on continuing learning strategies and articulation and compelementarity between formal and non formal education and training systems • NQF (National Qualifications Framework) :Mechanism for recognition, validation and accreditation of different kinds of learning

11. 4. New trends • Diversification of supply and demand • Priority to women and gender (from women and development to women in development and gender perspective) • Focus on adolescent and young people bridging with formal and non formal learning and training systems • Targeting groups with special needs • Linkages between learning programmes and social and productive sectors • Participatory methods • Competence based curricula and modular approaches (Botswana, Namibia) • Conducive learning environment

12. UNESCO Institute for Education www.unesco.org/education/uie 5. Positive Effects • Community participation and support • Adaptation of programmes to local levels and needs • Greater potential for expansion • Close monitoring and supervision

13. UNESCO Institute for Education www.unesco.org/education/uie 6. Conditions needed for success • Operational tools for empowerment and accountability involving community participation • National qualifications framework with key competencies and skills with equivalency and bridges between formal, non formal and informal • Effective monitoring and evaluation methods

14. UNESCO Institute for Education www.unesco.org/education/uie 7. Challenges & Prospects • Understanding Literacies • For what? • For whom? • Literacy as a foundational skill for lifelong learning • Literacy/Schooling/Languages • Learning from good practices and failures

15. UNESCO Institute for Education www.unesco.org/education/uie 7. Challenges & Prospects • Mainstreaming literacy in International Agendas (MDG, FTI, NEPAD, etc.) • How to get out of the ghetto? • How to make literacy attractive to: • Learners • Communities/Municipalities • Private Providers/Operators • Governments • Bilateral and Multilateral Agencies