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Adult Literacy for Empowerment: Defining the policy agenda for ICAE
Draft as
of 29 December 06 One in 4 adults, or 64 % of the 781 million adults who cannot read or write are women – the proportion virtually unchanged from 1990, when the international community promised to eradicate illiteracy in a decade. Although governments worldwide signed up to a UN goal promising 50% reduction in illiteracy by 2015, investments on this goal remain paltry. Literacy programmes receive a mere 1% of education budgets in many developing countries and equally suffers very low priority in aid budgets. Governments in the North and South continue to view adult illiteracy as a residual “problem”, one that will be addressed solely by the expansion of primary education systems - ignoring evidence that even in better performing systems, thousands of children – largely, poor girls - drop out of school before acquiring literacy skills because of poverty. Governments choose to ignore the profound impact of adult literacy – especially mother’s literacy – in school retention and learning achievements especially of girls. This continued disregard for adult literacy denies hundreds of millions of men and women, the much needed means to beat poverty, ill-health, exclusion and discrimination. Civil society organizations and movements should persist in holding governments accountable to the international community’s collective commitment to advance the right of all citizens to education and literacy of good quality. The EFA Midterm review in 2007/8, the MDG review in 2007/8 and CONFINTEA 6 in 2009 present important spaces and platforms for citizens and their movements to pressure governments to accord adult literacy the priority deserved, manifested in requisite financial allocations, political and infrastructural backing and support. In its World Assembly, January 17-19, 2007, the International Council for Adult Education (ICAE) will deliberate on the global adult literacy challenge, review the work of different civil society groups, advocates and movements advancing adult literacy, brainstorm on the strategic course for adult literacy advocacy and ICAE’s role within this. The Commission on Adult Literacy will be designed around the above discussion objectives, combining inputs from resource persons, interactive sessions drawing on the diverse global and regional perspectives on adult literacy, and open discussions and debates. Provisional Schedule: Jan 17 14:00-17:00 14:00-14:30 Welcome and Description of Session – led by ASPBAE 14-30-15:45 ‘What Quality Adult Literacy means in different contexts’ Inputs from: (15 min each) Asia: Kazi Rafiqul Alam, Executive Director, Dhaka Ahsania Mission, Bangladesh Africa: Jennifer Chiwela, ANCEFA and Coordinator, People’s Action Forum, Zambia and South Africa focal point, ANCEFA Arab: Ghada Al Jabi, Vice President for the Arab region, ICAE Latin America: Raul Valdes Cotera, CREFAL – Mexico 15:45-16:00 Tea Break 16:00-16:15 Open discussions 16:15-17:00 “Quality Adult Literacy…” Facilitated by: Gorgui Sow, Coordinator, African Network Campaign on Education for All (ANCEFA) ..A gendered perspective – Dipti Bhog, Co-Founder Nirantar, India (15 min) ..An indigenous perspective – Eileen Antone, Aboriginal Professor, University of Toronto, Canada (15 min) Open Discussions
Jan. 18. 14:00-17:00 14:15-15:00 International Benchmarks on Adult Literacy: Demanding Quality Adult Literacy by: Gorgui Sow, Coordinator, African Network Campaign on Education for All (ANCEFA (20 min) Open Discussions 15:00-15:45 The International Policy Environment for Adult Literacy: breaks and hurdles by: Carol Anonuevo, Deputy Director, UNESCO Institute for Lifelong learning (20 min) Open Discussions 15:45- 16:00 Tea Break 16:00-17:00 Planning for the Future: focus on recommendations to ICAE: Open Discussion/Debate - Facilitated by Maria Khan, ASPBAE Secretary General Contact: Maria Khan, ASPBAE, aspbae@vsnl.com
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