The role of functional literacy, linked to employment, leads to a narrow view of rural learners' need both economically and socially. The drive for individuals to take responsibility for their own learning and development is, indeed, a good thing. However, the burden of guilt felt by those who are unable, or unwilling, to achieve the standards set…

To help adults in Mali practice what they had learned in the literacy education programs, a rural information newspaper was created and educational radio services were provided. (AM)

Nearly half of Quebec's municipalities have fewer than 800 inhabitants and are struggling with conditions of economic decline, outmigration of youth, and political marginalization. In 1991, a regional coalition called Coalition Urgence Rurale was formed in the Lower Saint Lawrence area to support initiatives that promote community empowerment,…

This chapter reports on the activities of the Rural Continuing Education Centre (CREPA), a nongovernmental organization run by volunteers from small agricultural villages in the Las Villas area of Salamanca, Spain. The organization was founded in 1983 with the goal of improving living conditions and community life for villagers through social…

The eradication of illiteracy in Russia has a lengthy history but a systematic literacy campaign began only after the revolution of 1917. The literacy problem was considered to be solved two decades later. Success was due to the following factors: (1) illiterate people were eager to learn; (2) the eradication of illiteracy and preparation for…

The report details some aspects of the American Friends Service Committee's (AFSC) and the Mali government's cooperative rehabilitation project for nomad families along the shores of Lake Faguibine. Covering the years 1975-81, the report contains five sections. The introduction provides background information on nomads and the Sahel; drought,…

Women's literacy programs in rural Mali were studied through observation and surveys of 42 participants and 29 nonparticipants. Few participants acquired literacy skills, those that did rarely used them, and literacy acquisition had little socioeconomic impact on women's lives. General constraints on literacy usage in rural villages are discussed,…

The national language of Indonesia is Bahasa Indonesia, although there are hundreds of languages and dialects spoken by different ethnic groups. In 1977, more than 26 million Indonesians were illiterate in their national language. Present efforts to eradicate illiteracy include construction of 10,000-15,000 primary schools annually since 1973 and…

This report presents the proceedings of a 1978 international seminar held in Berlin which was convened by the German Foundation for International Development (Deutsche Stiftung fur internationale Entwicklung) in cooperation with Teheran's International Institute for Adult Literacy Methods. The designated purpose of the seminar was to examine…

The inferior position assigned to Asian women jeopardizes not only their future status in society, but also the future of society itself. The major problems standing in the way of empowerment for women are individual and family related, community, sociopolitical, cultural, and economic. Centralized planning of literacy/civic education programs in…

This chapter presents five case histories that describe literacy education practices in rural areas of England. All programs include the use of action research and the concept of open learning. Open learning is a nontraditional approach to education that includes the use of learning centers, computers, audio- and videotapes, and distance…

This chapter reviews the history of literacy training in Romania through the pretotalitarian period (1890-1945), the totalitarian period (1945-1989), and the posttotalitarian period (1989-present). Current literacy development efforts face many challenges including the facts that 592 classrooms do not have indoor plumbing, that more than 1,700…

The United Republic of Tanzania was perhaps the first African country to give urgent attention to adult literacy. One of the immediate results of educating adults was to make them insist that schooling be provided for their children. The literacy campaign that started in 1971 reduced the 1969 illiteracy rate of 69 percent to 9.6 percent in 1986.…

This chapter addresses the role of action research in projects that link literacy education and cultural action in peripheral rural areas. These programs aim to improve the living conditions of a population without destroying its cultural heritage or way of life. Action research begins with three broad questions: In what terms do local people pose…

A selected annotated bibliography on literacy and basic education, including contributions from practitioners in the worldwide non-formal education network and compiled for them, has three interrelated themes: integration of literacy programs with broader development efforts; the learner-centered or "psycho-social" approach to literacy,…