UIL has published a second edition of a collection of case studies of promising literacy programmes that seek to empower women. "Narrowing the Gender Gap: Empowering Women through Literacy Programmes" (originally published in 2013 as "Literacy Programmes with a Focus on Women to Reduce Gender Disparities") responds to the…

Literacy is the foundation of lifelong learning and a crucial element in the universally recognised right to education. However, illiteracy continues to exist as a global challenge, and many individuals still lack the basic literacy skills that are needed to engage in further learning opportunities and for the economic and social development of…

This digest examines the problem of child labor and education in India and other Southeast Asian countries. It offers novel insights into the extent of child labor and the shortcomings and inertia of educational systems in adapting to the needs of working children. Also, the digest describes a series of promising educational innovations meant to…

This issue of Reports Magazine focuses on the challenges that women face and their efforts to continue the struggle for a wider recognition in development and all other spheres of life. "Feminist Issues in Development" (Peggy Antrobus) discusses how feminist analyses offer critiques of conventional approaches to development that…

This report describes early childhood care and education (ECCE) and other family support policies and programs in seven southeast Asian countries: Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. The report draws primarily on background country reports prepared by officials in these countries to focus on the context in…

Case studies of the training of adult educators are presented including programs in Thailand, Nepal, New Zealand, Brazil, Zambia, Philippines, Canada, and Europe. (CT)

This paper examines the experience of development in the advanced developing countries in Asia from a gender perspective and draws some lessons for women in development policy in middle income countries in the Asian and Near East regions. The nature of the paper is exploratory, asking many questions on which further research and information are…

Multigrade schooling is a strategy to increase the educational opportunities of children in situations where it is impractical to have one primary school teacher per grade because of the limited size of the student population. In a multigrade school, teachers manage two or more classes simultaneously. A single teacher may be responsible for all…

Examines the extent to which higher education has facilitated or impeded economic and social empowerment of women in Asia, through developments and processes within family and educational institutions. Draws illustrations from South Asia, the Philippines, and Japan to reflect countries in different stages of development and with different cultural…

This report summarizes research on interventions intended to improve four key breastfeeding behaviors: early initiation of breastfeeding, feeding of colostrum to newborns, exclusive breastfeeding for the first 0-6 months, and continued breastfeeding through the second year and beyond. It clarifies what is known about improving these practices in…

Food and nutrition are the theme topics of this issue of UNICEF News. Giving special attention to Haiti and Zimbabwe, the first article inquires into reasons why agricultural, health, and nutrition programs have not eradicated malnutrition. Subsequent articles center on (1) facts concerning food and nutrition; (2) the diet of people living in a…

Five study papers by educators from India, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Thailand focus on: (1) policies and strategies in the implementation of universalization of education; (2) current policies and strategies in the preparation of teachers; and (3) recommendations for teachers in the universalization of education. Each of these elements…

Records show that school enrollment for girls is still lagging behind in some areas in the Asia and Pacific region, which poses challenge for the region to achieve Education for All (EFA) by 2015. And girls' labor in the Asia and Pacific region continues to constitute a major obstacle towards gender parity in education, another EFA target. Girls'…

Devoted to the role of participation in nonformal education (NFE) activities in enhancing development, this issue consists of an article on participation in NFE activities, descriptions of participatory programs, an annotated bibliography on participation, and a review of various publications related to participation. The lead article, "Can…

Focusing on Third World countries, this book examines the undereducation of women, causes of women's undereducation, changes in female education patterns, and the significance of such changes in society and in women's lives. The book consists of four parts, comprising different chapters written by social scientists, researchers, and educators.…