Over the past year, NIACE staff have been guided and advised by a group of 11 dynamic and well-informed commissioners, led by Lord Boswell of Aynho, in conducting an independent inquiry into the state of adult literacy in England. Lord Boswell is well equipped for this role and passionate about the issue. As well as being a former minister for…

This essay offers a commentary on how the relationship between language and literacy practices in and out of school has been conceptualized. It draws upon two new books in the field. Shirley Brice Heath's new book, "Words at Work and Play: Three Decades in Family and Community Life," which makes use of rich ethnographic accounts of…

This article considers a parallel marginalisation of Education for All (EFA) as a holistic approach to education, and the civil society actors and coalitions who address sidelined Dakar goals of early childhood care and education, adult literacy, quality and non-formal education. I argue that in spite of over two decades of EFA rhetoric prizing…

The potential of practitioner-led action research (PLAR) to contribute to professional development in adult literacies work is considered from two perspectives. First, a recent initiative in Scotland is examined to illustrate PLAR implemented as professional development. The structural factors needing to be addressed for PLAR to contribute to…

Scotland has a strong learner-centred system of adult literacy and numeracy education. Examination of the Scottish system can usefully highlight the issues associated with application of this approach in adult education more generally. Two important aspects are the need for highly skilled educators and the difficulty of evaluating such systems.…

As a comment on the paper "Adult Literacy" presented by Cecilia Soriano during the ICAE Virtual Seminar in Preparation for CONFINTEA VI, that took place from April 21st to May 09th, this paper recaptures the debate of the programmes to teach literacy to adults with characteristics of campaign; it talks about a new type of exclusion that…

There are no official data, but it is estimated that four million adults in Germany have little or no reading, writing and numeracy skills, so that they are known as "functionally illiterate". This is a fact which was long ignored. In this contribution, literacy activities and research in Germany are analysed through a human rights-based…

In this article, we argue that adult literacy as part of international development is an issue of both human rights and women's rights. We explore this by presenting a case study of the effects of one innovative adult literacy program in Afghanistan that places men and women, as well as various ethnicities, together in the same classroom as…

Discusses the issue of adult literacy in Ireland and the efforts that have been made to increase the literacy rate. Describes the National Adult Literacy Agency, established to respond to the literacy needs of adults in Ireland. (JOW)

In South Africa, adult literacy is vaguely acknowledged and thought to be worthy, but on the whole, industrialists, educators, and political activists ignore it. This article outlines what has been done to promote adult literacy, looks critically at the present situation, and spells out constraints. Focuses on the impact of political factors. (JOW)

Takes a critical look at the "new literacy studies." Describes an experimental workshop on Training for Organization, a Brazilian method focused on the relationship between literacy and power. (SK)

The emphasis on adult education in Nigeria is designed to eliminate illiteracy and to ensure development of adult Nigerians by making education a lifelong process. This paper focuses on the concept of adult physical education to promote understanding, ramifications, and rationale for use in adult programs. (JOW)

Mass illiteracy is recognized by many Nigerians as a debilitating malady that must be addressed if the nation is to make developmental headway. The Mass Literacy Campaign, launched to attempt to reduce illiteracy, has not made a significant impact because of poor planning, poor funding, poor programs, and inadequate staff. (JOW)

Discusses a literacy research project that aims to produce a critical review of existing policy-related knowledge about adult literacy and illiteracy. Reports on the major themes of this review. (JOW)

A preliminary sketch is provided of some important issues in adult literacy education, based on the work of Paulo Freire and reactions to his theories. (Contains 12 references.) (LB)