E-9 countries strengthen collaboration to tackle illiteracy in rural areas

Adult learners in a classroom, Yanqing district, Beijing, China © UNESCO

Eighty-five per cent of the world’s non-literate population resides in the E-9 countries (Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria and Pakistan), the most populated developing nations that face the greatest challenges in achieving universal literacy.

Nearly two in every three illiterate adults are women, reports the 2009 Education for All (EFA) Global Monitoring Report.

“It will be impossible to achieve the EFA goals globally if E-9 countries fail to make a noticeable difference, in particular with regard to quality of literacy and life skills”, said Mr Adama Ouane, Director of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning.

Literacy and adult learning are not only integral to the right to education but also provide individuals with confidence, knowledge and skills to make informed choices and better their lives. Especially for women, literacy is a vital tool to overcoming obstacles to equality and empowerment.

To address this challenge, national focal points from the E-9 countries came together for a seminar on literacy and adult learning in rural areas, in Beijing, China from 26-29 October 2009. The seminar aimed to promote the collaborative implementation of UNESCO’s Literacy Initiative for Empowerment (LIFE) and develop capacities of these countries.

The meeting’s main objectives were to:

1. Review strategies, progress and challenges in implementing LIFE;
2. To share experiences and best practices in promoting literacy and adult learning in rural areas; and
3. To generate information and inputs for the workshop focusing on E-9 countries that will take place during CONFINTEA VI, the Sixth International Conference on Adult Education (Belem, Brazil, 1-4 December 2009).
   
   

The LIFE Strategic Framework aims to meet the EFA goals and particularly focuses on adult literacy and out-of-school children. The framework targets the 35 countries that have a literacy rate of less than 50 per cent or a population of more than 10 million people who cannot read nor write.

The seminar served as a platform for discussions on common concerns and proposals in preparation for the eighth E-9 Ministerial Review Meeting taking place in Nigeria in 2010. The focus of this upcoming meeting is on literacy and non-formal education.

Among the expected outcomes, it is hoped that there will be future development on E-9 collaboration strategy for LIFE and adult learning with consolidating a mechanism of South-South cooperation that will support the achievement of the EFA goals, in particular Goals 3 and 4 (life skills and lifelong learning and literacy).

The E-9 seminar was co-organized by the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) and the UNESCO International Research and Training Centre for Rural Education (INRULED) in cooperation with the National Commission for UNESCO, the Chinese Ministry of Education, UNESCO Beijing and UNESCO Bangkok.

Related links:

LIFE Resource Pack

UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL)

UNESCO International Research and Training Centre for Rural Education (INRULED)