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4. Adult post-literacy
4.1 The situation » Up
Currently, thirty-six percent of the population over fifteen years of age are functionally literate with another 27 percent being semi-literate. Increasingly, others will become literate through the national literacy program, targeted at achieving 82% functional literacy by 2015. These groups represent the overall target population for the post literacy program. Within this group, the poor, women, ethnic minorities and other disadvantaged groups rank highest among those whose needs must be met. In the top priority 15-24 year old age group, there are an estimated 815,000 semi-literates, well over half of which are women. In the 25-45 year old range, there are an additional 825,000 semi-literates. Learning materials are not readily available throughout the country. Newspapers and printed materials can only be found in urban areas. TV and radio are the main means of widely providing information.
4.2 The rationale » Up
A literate person who has just completed a basic literacy course is not guaranteed retention of that skill. As with any other skill, it will fade in time unless it is regularly strengthened. Also, the functional literacy course establishes a base of literacy but more reinforcement and learning is necessary to make life-long learning possible. Post-literacy is a bridge towards self-learning whereby learners are motivated to go beyond basic literacy skills. Post literacy programs provide an opportunity for the disadvantaged to really become life-long learners. Post-literacy opens the door to choose further learning and education to meet personal needs and goals. Post-literacy continues the process of individual empowerment to contribute to, and benefit from, national socio-economic progress. Personal development involves a process of learning and applying what is learned to better the quality of life. Post-literacy is a critical step in the process of learning how to learn. At the macro-economic level, there is a clear correlation between active, applied literacy and increases in income and productivity.
4.3 The vision » Up
The ultimate aim of a post-literacy program is to, as far as possible, help participants become true autonomous learners in the broadest and best sense of a fully empowered person. Only if most members of a society are autonomous learners can true national socio-economic development emerge. The purpose of this post-literacy program is, first, to consolidate the basic literacy skills of reading, writing, numeracy and life skills such as problem-solving; second, to help semi-literate people gain or regain full functional literacy; and third, to provide literate people with information and knowledge for their continued learning as well as community development. Priority will be placed on recently literate and semi-literate 15-24 year olds, with a special focus on women and other vulnerable groups.
4.4 Long-term objective » Up
By 2015, to ensure the attainment and sustainability of functional literacy skills of all literate youth and adults (an estimated 82% of those over 15 years of age), especially women, the poor and other disadvantaged people, and also ensure access to information on continued learning opportunities.
4.5 Medium-term objectives » Up
- To ensure that 500,000 semi-literate people have become functionally literate, 70% women, by 2010;
- To ensure that all functionally literate people have access to continuing education opportunities through their commune community learning centres by 2010;
- To ensure that 50% of post-literacy facilitators and instructors are female by 2010.
4.6 Short-term objectives » Up
In partnership between all relevant ministries and NGOs:
- To complete development and pilot testing of a remedial functional literacy curriculum and all instructional materials by the end of 2004.
- To ensure an initial capacity of 50,000 persons by 2005, expanding to 100,000 persons by 2007, with priority on the critical 15 to 24 year old age group;
- To ensure at least 70% of those trained from 2003 to 2007 are women;
- To ensure at least 40% of trainers, facilitators and instructors are female by 2005.
4.7 Program modalities » Up
All learning and public education interventions need to be framed in terms of creating an environment in which there are opportunities to practice and elaborate functional literacy skills and continuing to learn. There are two main component activities: remedial functional literacy learning for semi-literate people; and the reinforcement of literacy skills by providing general reading materials as well as information on, and access to, continued learning opportunities. The post-literacy program must be closely linked with income generation activities, early childhood care programs, other available development activities and, increasingly, delivered through integrated community learning centres. All delivery systems will be used, including the centres, mobile libraries, information communication technology and combinations of these.
Following the principle of decentralization, the primary role of national authorities will be to train, facilitate and support provincial authorities. Actual planning will take place at the provincial, district and commune level, often in cooperation with non-governmental organizations. The majority of implementation will take place at the commune level.
Remedial literacy for semi-literates: The key to helping semi-literates proceed further is to give them skills needed for advanced reading so they have the confidence and the skill to continue learning. These skills typically include vocabulary development, development of general knowledge, skill in establishing mental schemes to integrate concepts, critical reasoning and problem-solving. The proposed curriculum will total approximately 200 hours of structured learning. Development and pilot testing should be completed in 2004 with expansion of capacity through to 2007 (up to an annual capacity of 100,000 persons).
Reading and information: This activity is somewhat analogous to developing and operating a small library which focuses on providing reading materials and public information as well as continuing education materials to youth and adults, in order to reinforce their literacy skills and provide them with general information. This activity must also include the function of providing educational and vocational counseling to facilitate people to accessing further learning opportunities. There must be a clear linkage to income generation and early childhood care programs, both of which can be used as tools to reinforce functional literacy skills. The physical location of this program will normally be the commune community learning center but there will also be some mobile libraries for remote areas with widely scattered small communities.
Again, the role of the national level will be to train, facilitate and support the provincial level. Actual planning will take place at the provincial, district and commune level, in cooperation with non-governmental organizations. The majority of implementation will take place at the commune and village level.
4.8 Key tasks » Up
Build partnerships between governmental and non-governmental agencies to:
- Develop decentralized planning and implementation: Train provincial, district and commune authorities how to plan, implement and monitor post-literacy activities. Schools, temples and community learning centers will play key roles;
- Materials: Collect, purchase and develop reading and learning materials, using all appropriate media (pamphlets, posters, newspapers, videos, cartoon books, etc.) which are relevant to the lives of local people. Develop remedial functional literacy learning and teaching materials. Curriculum and materials must be relevant to the socio-cultural, life skill and work-related context of disadvantaged youth, adults and women, including local production of materials which compile local knowledge. Materials must continue to be "modular" for flexibility of delivery according to learner needs; must incorporate adult learning methodologies; and be highly visual (not dense written text);
- Select and train trainers: Develop guidelines and training materials for selecting and training provincial/district trainers who should increasingly be female (50% by 2010). Adult learning methodologies must be used and emphasized. Trainers must be exposed to all NFE and development training programs available or planned for their area as a way of building horizontal integration. Ongoing in-service training should also be developed in cooperation with monitoring activities;
- Select and train local facilitators and instructors: In a similar manner, develop guidelines and training materials for selecting and training local community library facilitators and remedial literacy instructors, who should increasingly be female (50% by 2010). Adult learning methodologies must be used and emphasized. Local facilitators and instructors must be exposed to the full range of NFE and development training programs available or planned for their community;
- Monitor post-literacy activities: With local authorities and community representatives, undertake selective on-site case studies of various post-literacy activities to determine more precisely who is being reached and how effectively. Develop systems for monitoring performance of trainers, facilitators and instructors. Short-term objectives will be revised each year depending upon progress.
4.9 Indicators » Up
- Increased net enrolment in remedial literacy activities, by gender and disadvantaged status;
- Increased net number of remedial literacy students who progress to full literacy, by gender;
- Increased number of trainers and trained remedial literacy instructors;
- Remedial literacy materials tested and revised for pro-poor relevance and adult learning methodology;
- Increased number of governmental and non-governmental partnered remedial literacy activities, including joint instructor training and monitoring of learning achievement;
- Increased literacy in selected poverty/vulnerable groups, especially women;
- Increased demand for, and participation in, community-based remedial literacy activities by the most disadvantaged and women;
- Evidence of literacy graduates applying improved knowledge and skills in managing their quality-of-life and earning income;
- Increased numbers of women from poverty areas and ethnic minorities trained and deployed as trainers and instructors.
4.10 Indicative financial requirements » Up
It is estimated that it will cost approximately $25 for each person who completes a 200 hour post-literacy course, plus approximately $1,000 per community learning centre for materials.
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Khmer
