ERIC ED413497: Women Reading the World. Policies and Practices of Literacy in Asia. UIE Studies 6.

131 Pages·1996·4.2 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
CE 075 152
ED 413 497
Medel-Anonuevo, Carolyn, Ed.
AUTHOR
Women Reading the World. Policies and Practices of Literacy
TITLE
in Asia. UIE Studies 6.
United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural
INSTITUTION
Organization, Hamburg (Germany). Inst. for Education.
ISBN-92-920-820-10
ISBN
PUB DATE
1996-00-00
NOTE
129p.
PUB TYPE
Reports - Descriptive (141)
EDRS PRICE MF01/PC06 Plus Postage.
Adult Basic Education; *Adult Literacy; Case Studies;
DESCRIPTORS
Community Development; Community Education; Community
Programs; Educational Improvement; Educational Needs;
*Educational Policy; *Educational Practices; Educational
Strategies; EmpOwerment; Foreign Countries; Government
School Relationship; Illiteracy; Lifelong Learning;
*Literacy Education; Nonformal Education; Outcomes of
Education; Theory Practice Relationship; *Womens Education
IDENTIFIERS
*Asia
ABSTRACT
Papers from national seminars in five countries documenting
the literacy practices that have developed through time include: "Preface"
(Medel-Anonuevo); "Introduction"; "Illiteracy Eradication in Vietnam; Past
Achievements and Orientation for Development in the New Stage" (Mac); "Brief
Situationer of Women's Literacy in Bangladesh" (Huq); "Bangladesh Government
Literacy Initiative: The Integrated Nonformal Education Program (INFEP)"
(Rahman); "Brief Situationer of Women's Literacy in India" (Dighe); "Literacy
Policies and Programs for Women in the Philippines"; "History of Literacy
Efforts and Current Policies on Women's Literacy" (Sese); "Engendering Adult
Literacy" (Clarke); "Educational Strategies for Women--A Case Study of Mahila
Samakhya, Banda" (Samakhya); "The Literacy Program of Friends in Village
Development Bangladesh (FIVDB)" (Khandakar); "Models of Literacy Program in
Nepal"; "Linking Total Literacy to Universal Elementary Education" (Rampal);
"Two Views on Literacy Strategies in India" (Priyam, Sundaraman);
"Innovations in Literacy Practice in Nepal"; "Case Study of Bihar Mahila
Samakhya" (Sujita); "Some Notes on Non-formal Education for Women in
Thailand" (Leesuwan); "German Government Organization for Technical
Cooperation/Basic Education for Afghan Refugees--Female Literacy" (Adam);
"The Education Forum's Literacy-Numeracy Program" (Sipin); "Some Tips in
Doing Literacy Work" (Doronila); "Maori Development Committee of the Adult
Reading and Learning Assistance" (Grey); "Korean Research Institute for
Women's Life" (Chan); "The Literacy Circle" (Sundaraman); "Development of
Methods and Instructional Materials for Women in Bangladesh" (Kabeer); "On
Language and Indigenous Knowledge"(Doronila); "Language and Representation"
(Rampal); "Development of Literacy Learning Materials for Women" (Thong);
"Choice of Words for Literacy Curriculum and Materials"; "Analysis of Total
Literacy Campaign Primers" (Patel); "Incorporating Health Education in
Literacy Efforts" (Sundaraman); "The Content of Functional Knowledge in
Literacy Programs for Women in Vietnam" (Thai, Bui); "Impact of Literacy on
Women in India" (Dighe); "Concerns on Literacy Practices in Bangladesh";
"Theory and Practice of Women's Literacy in Bangladesh: Problems and Issues"
+++++ ED413497 Has Multi-page SFR--- Level =l +++++
(Latif); "Women's Empowerment Strategies in Post-Literacy Campaigns--Some
Experiences from Tamil Nadu" (Sudha); "Problems of Literacy Programs in
Nepal"; "Summary of the Main Points Raised in the National and Regional
Seminars"; "The Challenges Ahead" (Ramdas); and "Summary of the Main Issues
Discussed in the Second Day of the Regional Seminar" (Doronila).
(MN)
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UIE Studies 6
1996
WOMEN READING THE WORLD
in Asia
Policies and Practices of Literacy
edited by Carolyn Medel-Ationuevo
UNESCO Institute for Education, Hamburg
The UNESCO Institute for Education, Hamburg, is
a legally independent entity. While the programmes
of the Institute are established along the lines laid
down by the General Conference of UNESCO, the
publications of the Institute are issued under its sole responsibility;
UNESCO is not responsible for
their contents.
The points of view, selection of facts, and opinions
expressed are those of the authors and do not
necessarily coincide with official positions of the UNESCO
Institute for Education, Hamburg.
The designations employed and the presentation of
the material in this publication do not imply
the expression of any opinion whatsoever
on the part of the UNESCO Secretariat concerning the legal
status of any country or territory, or its authorities,
or concerning the delimitations of the frontiers of
any country or territory.
Cover illustration: Joanne de Leon
© UNESCO Institute for Education 1996
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ISBN 92 920 820 1069 4
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PREFACE
This publication grew out of a year's collaborative process with government agencies, NGOs, women's
groups and researchers working in the area of literacy. Asia, being the home of the majority of the
world's illiterates, was the most appropriate region to bring together these diverse actors to exchange
experiences and work out a plan of action.
Starting with national seminars in five countries, this research project ended with a regional
seminar that brought together representatives from 10 countries in the region. In the country seminars,
aside from sharing their work on literacy, the participants were expected to draw up a country
situationer that would not only dwell on the numbers of illiterates but, perhaps more importantly,
document the literacy practices that have developed through time. Furthermore it was anticipated that
the seminar would be a venue where the different actors would talk about their perspectives on women
and literacy as well as influence each others' practice. For example, it was planned that by bringing
women's groups to the seminar, a more gender-sensitive appraisal of literacy practices could be
developed.
In spite of all the rhetoric on the importance of women and literacy, research that is able to
guide conceptualization and implementation of policies and programs either is lacking or has not been
disseminated. We would like to think that by organizing these seminars and disseminating selected
papers and discussion that have emerged from them through this publication, we are able to make this
small contribution to fi ll the gap.
While this work is based on the realities of Asia, we would also like to offer it to literacy
practitioners all over the world with the hope that the experiences that we have culled in this volume
will allow them to reflect on their own practices.
We believe that, by bringing together a total of 180 women and men in these national and
regional seminars, we have started a participatory and collaborative process. We are therefore grateful
to these women and men for sharing their work and anticipate that whatever they have learned in these
seminars, is now slowly being put into practice.
Financial resources to bring together these people had to be generated and for these, we are
thankful to the Foreign Office of the German government, to the Swedish International Development
Authority (SIDA) and to the Swiss Development Corporation (SDC).
Through partnerships with different organizations, we were able to organize relevant and
effective seminars and to their staff members, we offer our heartfelt thanks: in the Philippines, the
Center for Women's Resources (CWR) and the Education Research Program (ERP) of the Center for
in Vietnam, the
Integrated Development Studies (CIDS) of the University of the Philippines;
Continuing Education Department of the Ministry of Education and Training; in India, the Women's
Policy and Advocacy Unit of the National Institute of Advanced Studies; in Bangladesh, the
Association of Development Agencies in Bangladesh (ADAB); in Nepal, Save the Children US (SCUS)
and the Women Development Division of the Ministry of Local Development; and for the Regional
Seminar held in the Philippines, KALAKASAN and again, the Education Research Program (ERP).
Finally this publication could not have been possible without Cendrine Sebastiani of the
Publications Section of UIE, who is primarily responsible for the lay-out of this publication and who
was so patient in the process of revising and editing of the texts; and Suzanne Musiol who keyed in
most of the papers presented during the seminars. We also appreciate the efforts of Joanne de Leon,
who created the book cover as well as the illustrations for the four chapters and to Norimyl Dangel-
Perocho for the illustration found in the concluding portion of the publication.
Carolyn Medel-Anonuevo
Research Specialist on Women's Education
UNESCO Institute for Education, Hamburg
TABLE OF CONTENTS
7
LIST OF BOXES AND TABLES
9
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER I -
POLICY DISCOURSES ON LITERACY:
Views from the Past and Present
11
ILLITERACY ERADICATION IN VIETNAM
13
Cu Quang Mac
INITIATIVE: THE
THE BANGLADESH GOVERNMENT LITERACY
INTEGRATED NON-FORMAL EDUCATION PROGRAM (INFEP)
19
Nilufer Rahman
HISTORY OF LITERACY EFFORTS AND CURRENT
POLICIES ON WOMEN'S LITERACY
23
Rose Sese
ENGENDERING ADULT LITERACY
31
David Clarke
CHAPTER II -
LITERACY PRACTICES AND THEIR PROMISE
35
OF EMPOWERING WOMEN
EDUCATIONAL STRATEGIES FOR WOMEN
A CASE STUDY OF MAHILA SAMAKHYA, BANDA
37
Mahila Samakhya and Nirantar
THE LITERACY PROGRAM OF FRIENDS IN VILLAGE
DEVELOPMENT BANGLADESH (FIVDB)
49
Hasnat Khandakar
MODELS OF LITERACY PROGRAM IN NEPAL
51
(Based on the discussion during the National Seminar)
LINKING TOTAL LITERACY TO UNIVERSAL
ELEMENTARY EDUCATION
53
Anita Rampal
INNOVATIONS IN LITERACY PRACTICE IN NEPAL
57
(Based on the discussion during the National Seminar)
CASE STUDY OF BIHAR MAHILA SAMAKHIYA
59
Sister Sujita
PROGRAM
THE EDUCATION FORUM'S LITERACY-NUMERACY
65
Cecil le Sipin
THE LITERACY CIRCLE
71
Suddha Sundaraman
6
CHAPTER III -
EMERGING ISSUES IN THE CONTENT OF LITERACY
CURRICULUM AND MATERIALS
75
DEVELOPMENT OF METHODS AND INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS
FOR WOMEN IN BANGLADESH
Rokeya Rahman Kabeer
77
DEVELOPMENT OF LITERACY LEARNING MATERIALS
FOR WOMEN
Tran Quang Thong
83
ANALYSIS OF TOTAL LITERACY CAMPAIGN PRIMERS
Ila Patel
89
THE CONTENT OF FUNCTIONAL KNOWLEDGE IN
LITERACY PROGRAMS FOR WOMEN IN VIETNAM
Thai Xuan Dao, Bui Van Thu
97
CHAPTER IV -
EVALUATING AND ASSESSING LITERACY PRACTICES
101
THE IMPACT OF LITERACY ON WOMEN IN INDIA
Anita Dighe
103
THEORY AND PRACTICE OF WOMEN'S LITERACY
IN BANGLADESH: PROBLEMS AND ISSUES
Abu Hamid Latif
115
WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT STRATEGIES IN POST-LITERACY
CAMPAIGNS SOME EXPERIENCES FROM TAMIL NADU
Sister Sudha
119
CONCLUSION
BEYOND THE 3Rs: MAKING LITERACY WORK FOR WOMEN
125
SUMMARY OF THE MAIN POINTS RAISED IN THE NATIONAL
AND REGIONAL SEMINARS
127
IDENTIFICATION OF COMMON AREAS OF INTEREST/
COLLABORATION AT THE REGIONAL SEMINAR
131
THE CHALLENGES AHEAD
Lalita Ramdas
132
SYNTHESIS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
134
LIST OF TABLES AND BOXES
TABLES:
Table 1.1 - Number of Illiterates and Percentage of Women Illiteracy
16
in Selected Areas in Vietnam
The Intercensal Comparison of Male-Female Literacy-Ratio (%)
Table 1.2
18
in Bangladesh
24
Literacy of Population 15 Years and Above in the Philippines
Table 1.3
34
Illiteracy Rates in Asia
Table 1.4
95
Content of TLC Literacy Primers in Gujarat
Table 3.1
105
Literacy Scores of Respondents
Table 4.1
106
Scores for Application
Table 4.2 -
BOXES:
BRIEF SITUATIONER OF WOMEN'S LITERACY IN BANGLADESH
Box 1.1
Professor Jahanaru Huq
18
BRIEF SITUATIONER OF WOMEN'S LITERACY IN INDIA
Box 1.2 -
21
Anita Dighe
LITERACY POLICIES AND PROGRAMS FOR WOMEN
Box 1.3
22
IN THE PHILIPPINES
TWO VIEWS ON LITERACY STRATEGIES IN INDIA
Box 2.1 -
56
Manisha Priyam - Suddha Sundaraman
SOME NOTES ON NON-FORMAL EDUCATION FOR WOMEN
Box 2.2 -
IN THAILAND
63
Wileka Leesuwan
GTZ BEFARe - FEMALE LITERACY
Box 2.3 -
64
Waheeda Farouk Adam
SOME TIPS IN DOING LITERACY WORK
Box 2.4
69
Maria Luisa C. Doronila
Box 2.5 -
TE WHEW KAUPAPA AKO
70
Sarah Grey
THE KOREAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR
Box 2.6 -
WOMEN'S LIFE (KRIWL)
70
Chan Nam Chung
ON LANGUAGE AND INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE
Box 3.1 -
82
Ma. Luisa Doronila
LANGUAGE AND REPRESENTATION
Box 3.2 -
82
Anita Rampal
Box 3.3
CHOICE OF WORDS FOR LITERACY CURRICULUM
AND MATERIALS
(discussion during the Regional Seminar)
88
Box 3.4 -
INCORPORATING HEALTH EDUCATION IN LITERACY EFFORTS
Suddha Sundaraman
96
Box 4.1
CONCERNS ON LITERACY PRACTICES IN BANGLADESH
114
Box 4.2
PROBLEMS OF LITERACY PROGRAMS IN NEPAL
(Based on the discussion held during the National Seminar)
123