In outlining the framework offered at the UNESCO Regional Conference in support of Global Literacy (New Delhi, November 2007), it was pointed out that concepts of poverty, sustainable development and particularly of literacy and innovation have themselves been in continuous re-construction. An analysis of the context and condition for literacy…

Points out that literacy is often a volatile issue in developing countries, where it is often seen as a key to liberation. Introduces a model for identifying and categorizing the goals and philosophies of literacy projects, programs, and campaigns of the world. (ARH)

Discusses the formulation of a global strategy for the eradication of adult illiteracy. The strategy must involve the definition and discussion of options available to policy makers and the promotion of research that clarifies policy choices and planning decisions. (JOW)

A model of evaluation planning, implementation, and management is presented that includes: (1) a management information system (MIS) to provide a description of the size and scope of adult literacy and post-literacy programs (ALPPs); (2) naturalistic evaluation to provide insight into the meanings of ALPPs as experienced by participants; and (3)…

Recounts the history and context of the adult literacy movement in Ethiopia. Looks at delivery systems, curriculum and program development, teaching methods, teacher training and recruitment, achievements, funding, evaluation, and policies. Suggests that, since social change is always difficult and Ethiopia has undergone many hardships, the…

This paper addresses the logic and the structure of economic motivations for adult literacy promotion. It uses as an example the People's Republic of China to demonstrate how economic motivations can best serve the cause of adult literacy and suggests applying these concepts to India. The paper is organized in three parts. In the first part, the…

The evaluative implications of adult literacy for all, as delineated by the World Conference on Education for All (held in Jomtien, Thailand, on March 5-9, 1990), are examined. These implications are presented in four interrelated sets related to different stakeholders at different parts of the system. The Education for All (EFA) initiatives…

While the implementation of adult literacy promotion can best be handled at the national level, some important things can be done at the Southern African Development Co-ordination Conference (SADCC) level. A persuasive argument can be made on behalf of adult literacy in the SADCC development strategy. The people need to be educated in the…

When Ethiopia launched its National Literacy Campaign (NLC) in July 1979, it was announced that illiteracy would be removed from the urban areas of the country by 1982 and from rural Ethiopia by 1987. By the end of the 12th round of the NLC in February 1985, 16.9 million youths and adults had been covered by the campaign, and 12 million (almost…

To evaluate the Adult Literacy Organization of Zimbabwe (ALOZ), an organization whose aim is to achieve universal literacy in Zimbabwe, a study interviewed officials at ALOZ, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and other institutions involved in literacy development; reviewed relevant literature and documents;…

Leaders and decision makers in Africa and nations of African diaspora must face a number of challenges in their attempts to further development through literacy: (1) reinvent a concept of African development that is a product of the native genius of Africa and that is rooted in the matrix of indigenous cultural values, realities, and…

Like many other newly independent countries of the Third World, Botswana, at independence in 1966, sought strictly utilitarian uses of education to train manpower for modernization. By the mid-1970s, however, the country had assumed a more humane development ideology, promising economic equality, democracy, and social justice. The policy of…

Some of the trends and issues in worldwide adult literacy include the existence of the following: (1) an increasing percentage of literate people, perhaps resulting from more children's education rather than literacy initiatives for adults; (2) fuzzy definitions of literacy and inaccurate self-reported data; (3) a change in ideology, moving from…

Program design in nonformal education must take into account the cultural context in which it exists. In developing countries, it can neither reject all values of Western civilization (an impossible task), nor can it embrace Western values without regard to native cultures. The challenge, especially in literacy education, is to become culturally…

Addressed to professionals involved in program evaluation, this working paper covers various aspects of evaluation planning, including the following: planning as a sociotechnical process, steps in evaluation planning, program planning and implementation versus evaluation planning and implementation, the literacy system and its subsystems, and some…