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In depth I  Making literacy a priority Right to education of afro-descendant and indigenous communities in the Americas Source: Inter-American Commission of Human Rights The information presented in this report is based on interviews with the affected populations, their community representatives and government officials in all three countries conducted over the past year by the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights and its partners, including RFK Human Rights Award Laureates Amílcar Méndez Urízar (Guatemala), Berenice Celeyta (Colombia) and Sonia Pierre (Dominican Republic). These specific case studies provide evidence of structural discrimination and a lack of access to education throughout the Americas. (PDF). April 2008.[see more]   print    send   Correct  ADD YOUR COMMENT >> How can we address the issue of the information and knowledge society without first dealing with the fact that almost a sixth of the world's population remains illiterate, and thus excluded from the possibility of effectively participating in a knowledge-driven society? What good are the advantages afforded by the new ICTs for the more than 860 million who cannot read and write? How can we even attempt to narrow the digital divide -thereby combating the inequality that separates the information 'haves' from the 'have-nots'- if we continue to ignore that a large sector of the world's population is denied access to the most basic tool for communicating in modern society? The eradication of illiteracy -a goal long proclaimed by the international community- had advanced significantly over the second half of the 20th century. Now, however, the trend towards improving literacy levels seems to be slowing down and many fear that past gains may even be lost as resources for education are cut down, with some countries alarmingly moving backwards from previously high rates of literacy. Even the more affluent societies are not free from illiteracy, as surveys show that as much as 25% of citizens in developed countries are affected by functional illiteracy -that is, they may have learned to read or write but have either lost these skills or are unable to use them to solve the most basic tasks. UNESCO's first progress report since the 2000 World Education Forum reveals that more than 70 countries will not be able to attain the goals set at Dakar for 2015, which include acceptable primary schooling for all children, eliminating gender disparities in school, and cutting adult illiteracy by fifty percent. The most negative outlook is for the sub-Saharan African countries, but other critical countries include India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Arab states and China. And those who are closer to reaching the targets will only be able to do so with significant foreign aid. All this in the face of declining bilateral and multilateral aid for education. While poverty, war, natural disasters, political commotion, and the ensuing displacement of populations, all contribute to aggravate the situation of education, the most important factor in the equation -the key to effectively reducing illiteracy- is political will. Although basic education is a human right formally recognized over 50 years ago by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and despite repeated and solemn declarations of the universality of human rights, in reality education is still not globally acknowledged as a right, as it is denied to a large proportion of humanity. But the promotion of education should not be seen only in terms of advocating human rights. Education is a powerful tool for reducing poverty and inequality, improving health and social well-being, and laying the basis for sustained economic growth and democracy. That is why education has been included as one of the eight objectives of the Millennium Development Goals, setting the year 2015 as the deadline for achieving full primary schooling for children everywhere. That is also why, in late 2001, the UN General Assembly proclaimed the United Nations Literacy Decade for the period 2003-2012, in line with the goal set by the 2000 World Education Forum in Dakar for achieving sound primary education for all children everywhere by 2015. The basic aim of the decade is to extend literacy to those who are currently deprived of it. The goal is that the more than 861 million illiterate adults and 113 million children without schooling shall acquire and use literacy as a means for communicating at their local level and in the wider society. So far, literacy efforts have failed to solve the educational needs of the poorest and most marginalized populations. The Decade will thus focus on these sectors. The initiative's expected outcomes are to create locally sustainable literate environments where people will be able express themselves, engage in effective learning and written communication, and exchange knowledge with others, increasingly incorporating electronic media and information technologies to communicate, access and utilize the wealth of knowledge available. Literacy is considered a plural concept, whose particular meanings are determined by the use it is given in specific settings. As such, the Decade will promote diverse forms of literacy towards covering a wide range of purposes, contexts, languages and modes of acquisition, ensuring that literacy is relevant and useful to people in their daily lives. The Decade will seek to effectively join governments and civil society in a sustained effort to face up to the literacy challenge. While it is an effort that involves the UN system as a whole, UNESCO has been entrusted with the task of coordinating the initiative, which is also framed by the Education for All goal of increasing literacy rates by 50% by the year 2015 and the Millennium Development Goals. Versión en español share:   print    send   correct  ADD YOUR COMMENT >>  Education as a human right  Towards education for all  The road to literacy  World state of education  Adult education  The gender dimension in education  Education in special situations  Non-formal education  Organizations campaigning for education  Literacy and education resources   News Up-to-date current affairs information. Tue Sep 12 2006 43 million children out of school because of conflict Fuente: Save the Children In-depth reports Detailed reports on key issues Education on the market The pros and cons of the slow but relentless process of integration of education into the market. The gender gap in education Countries aren't fulfilling their commitment to getting girls and women into school. NGOs NGO web sites Aasthan Latif Welfare Society An organization dedicated to the promotion of basic education among rural girls in the rural areas of Sindh Province, Pakistan. Adult Basic Education Society (ABES) Since 1971, ABES has focused on working to promote adult functional literacy in the Pakistan. Asha for Education Asha focuses on basic education in the belief that education is a critical requisite for socio-economic change. see more NGOs...      Education as a human right Education is recognized as a right worldwide through diverse laws, conventions, declarations, and programs. Civil society organizations can use these legal instruments to support their advocacy work. UNESCO's Right to education portal For UNESCO, the right to education occupies a central place in human rights and it is essential and indispensable for the exercise of all other human rights and for development. Millennium Development Goals Ambitious agenda for reducing poverty and improving lives, approved by world leaders at the September 2000 Millennium Summit. Goal and targets include attaining universal primary education and eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary education. UN Commission on Human Rights resolution on the right to education (2003) Urges all States to give full effect to the right to education and to guarantee that this right is recognized and exercised without discrimination of any kind. The Right to Education Project This is a public access human rights resource, the only such site in the world devoted solely to the right to education. It was started by Katarina Tomasevski, the first ever Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, after her appointment in 1998. Disabilities and access to education Source: UN After five years of negotiations, countries meeting at UN Headquarters in New York have agreed on a new treaty to protect the rights of persons with disabilities. Article 24 refers to education with a view to realizing this right without discrimination and on the basis of equal opportunity ensuring an inclusive, education system at all levels, and life-long learning. September 2006. Right to education of afro-descendant and indigenous communities in the Americas Source: Inter-American Commission of Human Rights The information presented in this report is based on interviews with the affected populations, their community representatives and government officials in Guatemala, Colombia and the Dominican Republic. These specific case studies provide evidence of structural discrimination and a lack of access to education throughout the Americas. (PDF). April 2008.    Towards education for all In March 1990, the international community put education on the global agenda at the World Conference on Education for All (EFA) in Jomtien, Thailand, where governments set themselves the challenge of achieving universal primary education by the year 2000. Ten years later, the international community came together again at the World Education Forum in Dakar, Senegal, to examine the results of the decade in the most in-depth evaluation of basic education ever undertaken on a global scale. UNESCO's Education for All (EFA) Portal Keeps information on world and regional conferences and forums on education. Includes links to multilateral and civil society actors, as well as the EFA Observatory. Regular monitoring of the state of education in the world is an essential part of the follow-up to Dakar. For this reason, UNESCO has created the EFA Observatory, in order to monitor and report on progress achieved in education on a national, regional and global level. Education for all: is commitment enough? This report outlines the history of the EFA initiatives and their lack of progress toward stated goals. It presents criticisms of the Fast Track initiative and states that there has been little mobilization of support from civil society, and a lack of ownership of the initiatives on the part of governments and other authorities, additionally stating that teachers have been little consulted and involved (pdf format). 2001 Oxfam Education Report Source: Oxfam Establishes a new analytical tool, the Education Performance Index, to assess the rate of progress towards universal primary education, and skillfully disaggregates national statistical data to show regional variances in performance. (pdf format files) Education for All and the World Bank Source: World Bank The EFA partnership is a broad coalition of national governments, organizations such as UNESCO and the World Bank, civil society groups, and associations, is committed to reaching and sustaining the EFA goals through broad-based partnerships within countries, and supported by co-operation with regional and international institutions. Education for all: fast track or slow trickle Source: Oxfam At the spring 2002 meeting of the World Bank, the member countries launched the Education for All Fast Track Initiative and promised to provide increased and better coordinated aid to countries with credible strategies. While the Fast Track initiative has generated new incentives that are galvanizing action at the national level, the donor response is inadequate. (pdf format, 25 pages) Must do better: government's commitment to basic education in Asia Pacific Source: Asian South Pacific Bureau of Adult Education This report analyses if governments are delivering on their promises to provide free and quality basic education for all. Using the format of a ‘school report’, this publication ranks leaders of 14 developing countries in the Asia Pacific region as ‘class leaders’ or ‘poor performers’ based on their actions to provide basic education for all. (PDF format). June 2005. UN Summit: barriers to schooling undermine goals Source: Human Rights Watch On September 14, world leaders will gather at the United Nations in New York, in part to assess progress on the Millennium Development Goals adopted in 2000. One of the eight goals is to ensure that by 2015, every child attends and completes primary school. However, a recent survery by Human Rights Watch found that school fees and related education costs, the global HIV/AIDS epidemic, discrimination, violence and other obstacles keep an estimated 100 million children out of school, the majority of whom are girls. September 2005. Education: civil society pushes the way forward Source: UNESCO In recent years, non-governmental organizations have established themselves as fully recognized partners in the Education for All movement. The latest issue of UNESCO’s Education Sector newsletter reports on how civil society involvement pushes the boundaries in education. (PDF document). July 2006. Free or fee: state of the right to education worldwide Source: Right to Education Project Katarina Tomasevski Globally, the right to education is denied despite pretty United Nations' rhetoric on human rights mainstreaming and rights-based development. Its denial is epitomized in levying charges even in primary school, thus pricing it out of the reach of the poor. This report by Katarina Tomasevski, UN special rapporteur on the Right to Education from 1998-2004 summarizes the shortcomings of global educational promises and then examines how the right to education fares in 170 countries. (PDF document). August 2006. Education: the challenge of universality Source: Social Watch The emergence of the information society has opened up new possibilities in education but it has also exposed some basic deficiencies. While illiteracy is now almost negligible in the developed countries it is still only too prevalent in the poorest nations. The educational systems in the developing countries are in urgent need of greater public investment and contributions from the international community says the new Social Watch report 2006. September 2006. The right to education in the world: a look to the goals of Education for All Source: ICAE Invited by the Latin-American Campaign for the Right to Education, the UN special rapporteur on Right to Education, Vernor Muñoz, from Costa Rica, stood in São Paulo from 24 to 26 January. February 2008.    The road to literacy The struggle to attain education for all involves different strategies and engages different actors. UN Literacy Decade 2003-2012 UNESCO Literacy Decade website. There are nearly 900 million illiterates in the world today Remarks delivered by Secretary-General Kofi Annan at a ceremony held on Thursday evening, 13 February, at the New York Public Library, to mark the launch of the United Nations Literacy Decade (2003-2012). UN Literacy Decade - Hope or Hype? Source: OneWorld Geeta Sharma The launch of the UN Literacy Decade was yet another in a series of international pledges to provide education to all. Time and again, in the past two decades, an atmosphere of urgency to achieve education goals has been created. And yet, each time, these pledges have met with very little commitment and action, claims the author. Focus on literacy for a better world Source: UNESCO Courier In cooperation with a team of international correspondents from The Times Education Supplement in London, this second edition of UNESCO's new Courier is dedicated to the United Nations Literacy Decade and features several articles on a range of issues. Some thoughts on International Literacy Day Source: SDNPBD It is remarkable that for nearly every kind of human insecurity, education can have a preventive role, a constructive contribution to make. The first -and perhaps most basic issue- is that illiteracy and innumeracy are forms of insecurity in themselves. By Amartya Sen, 1998 Nobel laureate in Economics. Backward and forward linkages that strengthen primary education Source: Economic and Political Weekly It is widely acknowledged that a significant proportion of children, especially those from underprivileged backgrounds and girls, either drop out of primary school or learn very little even if they attend school. The creation of 'backward and forward' linkages is essential to creating an environment where every child not only goes to school but benefits from it. Teachers and educational quality: monitoring global needs for 2015 Source: UNESCO This report provides global and regional assessments on the state of teachers and education quality. It explores the policy implications of bridging the gap between the two, especially in developing countries. April 2006.    World state of education Reports on the current situation of education in selected countries and regions. Education in Africa: responding to a human rights violation Education is a fundamental human right, yet there is a massive gap between the language and practice of rights. The basic rights of millions of people are routinely violated, and the epicenter of this education rights violation is Africa. Source: ActionAid. doc format, 9 pages. EFA 2000 Assessment country reports Source: UNESCO All reports are available in the language of submission. Background and perspective on literacy in India Source: Infochange India According to the 2001 Census, 65 per cent of Indians are literate. And almost every child now has access to a school, with around 95 per cent of the rural population having a primary school within one kilometer of their home. But are socio-economic conditions preventing children from going to school? How many drop out within a year or two? And what is the quality of education available at these schools? Education in Iraq Source: UNESCO This document details the state of education in Iraq right up to the war in 2003, at the different levels of study and in the various regions. (pdf format, 137 pages) Education in Northern Ireland Source: UNHCHR Report by UN Special Rapporteur on the right to education. (Word document) Education in Indonesia Report by UN Special Rapporteur on the right to education. Primary education in Latin America: the unfinished agenda Source: Inter-American Development Bank After over a decade of concern and investment in primary education, what have been the results and how much further does the region need to go before it has achieved a primary education of quality for all children? The paper reviews available data for four countries as well as for the region as a whole. (pdf format 26 pages) Global education overview 2005 Source: Social Watch Report 2005 This table shows the education rates of countries worldwide and how they have failed to keep their promises. (PDF document). September 2005. 2006 Education For All global monitoring report Source: UNESCO The 2006 Global Monitoring Report, Literacy for life, measures the world's progress towards achieving the six Education For All goals, and especially the neglected one of universal literacy. Global monitoring report on education for all 2007 Source: UNESCO Latin America and the Caribbean leads the developing world in the provision of pre-school education although improvement has been uneven, according to the annual Education for All Global Monitoring Report, published by UNESCO. The 2007 report focuses on early childhood care and education, the first of the goals approved by 164 countries at the World Education Forum held in Dakar, Senegal in 2000, which are to be fulfilled by 2015. October 2006. Education for all by 2015: will we make it? Source: UNESCO Poor quality of education, the high cost of schooling and persisting high levels of adult illiteracy are undermining the chances of achieving education for all by 2015 says the new global monitoring report on education for all launched by UNESCO. December 2007.    Adult education Adult education denotes the entire body of ongoing learning processes, formal or otherwise, whereby adults develop their abilities, enrich their knowledge, and improve their technical or professional qualifications. But millions of adults have yet to acquire the most basic skill: literacy. Literacy and Adult Education - Education for All 2000 Assessment Thematic Source: UNESCO The present global thematic study on literacy and adult education considers trends and innovations that have been particularly salient over the WCEFA decade. (pdf format) Project Literacy South African non-government organization working to deliver a wide range of adult basic education and training programs to educationally disadvantaged adults by way of adult education centers, teacher training, curriculum development and community outreach. Adult Education - Reflect An approach to adult learning and social change, used by over 350 diverse organizations in more than 60 countries. See Resource section, featuring evaluation of experiences of the Reflect pilot projects. Adult Literacy Source: SDNBD An overview of adult literacy efforts in Bangladesh, as seen by Proshika, and recommendations for a new approach. Literacy in Adults. Source: Education Today - UNESCO 877 million left behind Millions of illiterate adults have no desire to read and write because they do not see the direct benefits. They think it will not change their lives. So why force literacy on people? Some argue that reading and writing are the second culmination of our humanity, after speech, and by failing to provide literacy, we deprive people of being fully human. Lifelong learning in the South: critical issues and opportunities for adult education Source: SIDA Rosa María Torres Lifelong learning has been acknowledged as a need and a principle for education and learning systems worldwide. However,the learning needs of adults continue to be sidelined or ignored in recent international development initiatives and education policy recommendations for the South,including Education for All and the Millennium Goals. This new book illustrates the need and opportunities for governments,national societies and the international donor community to re-frame the North-South gap and to re-orient education and learning towards social transformation and human development. By Rosa María Torres, December 2004. Pdf format. Writing the wrongs: International benchmarks on adult literacy Source: Global Campaign for Education Although governments worldwide signed up to a UN goal promising 50% reduction in illiteracy by 2015, they are investing scandalously little in programmes towards that goal. Literacy programmes receive a mere 1% of education budgets in many developing countries and equally suffers very low priority in aid budgets. A new research by the Global Campaign for Education (GCE) challenges the oft-repeated excuses for denying adults the right to learn and provides evidence of what works in practice. December 2005 (pdf version).    The gender dimension in education The education of girls and women has been recognized for several decades not only as a fundamental human right, but also as a developmental necessity. Nevertheless, large gender disparities in enrolment and learning achievements persist. A Fair Chance - Attaining gender equality in basic education by 2005 Source: GCE This report aims to inform campaigning and advocacy work in the North and South on girls' education, highlighting the progress made in reducing gender gaps in education in the developing world and the size of the challenge that remains (pdf format). Girl's education The Partnership on Sustainable Strategies for Girls Education is an international, inter-agency group dedicated to improving educational opportunities for girls in the developing world, formed by the Department for International Development U.K., the World Bank, and the United Nations Children's Fund. Accelerating progress in girls' education: 25 by 2005 One of UNICEF's initiative to intensify efforts in 25 priority countries to maximize the number of girls in school by 2005. Contains the reports currently available for some countries. (pdf format) Women and Gender in Education Information on UNESCO's initiatives for gender equality at all levels of education.    Education in special situations Some groups of people are specially vulnerable to illiteracy, namely refugee populations, people living in conflict-ridden regions, disabled people and populations affected by the AIDS pandemic. Education for populations affected by conflict Education Action International defends the right to education in the belief that education is the key to unlocking potential for positive development. It works with people affected by conflict in their home countries and countries of refuge, through its two divisions: the Refugee Education & Training Advisory Service (RETAS) and the International Division. The Danhiko Project - Zimbabwe Danhiko Project is dedicated to the academic and vocational training of people with disabilities and those who are economically and socially disadvantaged. African Child Foundation (ACF) An independent, indigenous, non-political, non-governmental organization with a primary mission to provide education to poor disadvantaged and neglected orphans whose parents have died of HIV/AIDS and to help their families to overcome poverty and hopelessness in Uganda through helping them initiate sustainable income generating projects. Primary education in Eastern and Southern Africa Source: SchoolNet Africa Works in increasing access for orphans and vulnerable children in AIDS affected areas. Education in crisis and post-conflict situations Source: UNESCO Crisis situations are nowadays a major concern and a structural reality in numerous Member States. Faced with the challenges generated by conflict with accompanying chronic instability, and refugee and displaced children, and by frequent natural disasters, UNESCO has been developing strategies and capacities to respond with efficiency to the concerned Member States in exceptional circumstances. The right to education during displacement Source: Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children This tool identifies the right to education and actions that individuals and organizations can take to fulfill these rights, with a focus on refugees, returnees and internally displaced people. It has been developed for local, regional and international organizations that work with displaced communities. (PDF document). August 2006. Education under attack Source: UNESCO Political and military violence targeting educational systems is depriving a growing number of children of the right to education, according to "Education under Attack", a UNESCO report presented at the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) High-Level Segment in Geneva, Switzerland on July 2007. (PDF document). Education's missing millions: including disabled children in education Source: Global Campaign for Education Country governments and international agencies still need to focus much more on the inclusive participation of disabled children, starting by recognising inclusive education as a right. (PDF). October 2007.    Non-formal education As far as education remains in the heart of poverty alleviation strategies, non-formal education appears to be particularly helpful in that it enables the rural or urban poor and other marginalized groups to acquire useful knowledge, attitudes and skills, affording a wide array of learning opportunities directly associated with income-driven activities. Working Group on Non-Formal Education (ADEA) The Working Group on Non-Formal Education (WGNFE) works with African ministries of education, partner agencies, and NGOs to facilitate and strengthen the links and partnerships between all stakeholders in NFE. The Working Group also promotes communication and sharing of information on strategies for monitoring NFE in order to ensure its optimal contribution to national educational goals. Tokyo Statement on Non-formal Education Representatives of 19 countries of the Asia-Pacific region reaffirm their commitment to achieve the goals of Education for All and call upon all EFA partners to recognize the pivotal role of non-formal education. Non-formal education centers reach farming and pastoralist children in Ethiopia Since 1998, Pact has supported the creation and expansion of alternative basic education centers, working through local NGOs. Community Learning Centres (CLCs) CLCs are defined as local educational institutions outside the formal education system, for villages or urban areas, usually set up and managed by local people to provide various learning opportunities for community development and improvement of people's quality of life.    Organizations campaigning for education Several organizations are campaigning throughout the world to further the cause of education and promote literacy. In addition to the following, please do not forget to check the NGO sites we have selected in the menu on the right. Education Now - Oxfam International Oxfam is campaigning for governments and institutions to really put their money where their mouth is and make the dream of education for all a reality. Global Campaign for Education A coalition of development NGOs and teachers' unions advocating education policy-related issues, the GCE became the node of NGO advocacy during the Dakar Forum. It promotes education as a basic human right, focusing particularly on children, women and all disadvantaged, deprived sections of society. Education for all European campaign Education International and the European Parliament's Committee on Development and Cooperation have initiated a resolution which proposes doubling the EU-budget for primary education in developing countries, a resolution that can make a difference for millions of children. Action Aid ActionAid's campaigning work on education is based on more than 25 years of field experience in innovative education programs such as Access, Elimu and Reflect.    Literacy and education resources A range of websites providing statistics and data on literacy, as well as information on literacy initiatives, for researchers, policymakers, NGOs and anyone concerned with education and literacy issues. Eldis Education Resource Guide Eldis is a gateway to information on development issues, providing free and easy access to wide range of high quality online resources. Provides summaries and links to online documents and offers a directory of websites, databases, library catalogues and email discussion lists. Keeps information on many topics, including: gender and education, health and education, education reform, adult education, literacy, ICTs and education, education in emergencies and economics of education. International Literacy Explorer This web site is designed to give an overview of literacy and basic education issues and practices in an international context, offering ideas, discussions, and activities for teachers/practitioners, policymakers, or researchers to enrich their thinking on literacy. Asia Pacific Literacy Data Base Jointly developed by the Asia/Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO and UNESCO with the close collaboration of literacy, non-formal education and statistics experts from international organizations, government sectors and NGOs of the Member States in the region. Education for All in India This site presents comprehensive information regarding various activities initiated in India in the field of education. Literacy Exchange: World Resources on Literacy This site provides an integrated platform of information that has been used in different literacy campaigns world-wide. It contains case studies on Brazil, Jamaica, Kosovo, Nicaragua, South Africa, Tanzania, India, Spain, Tunisia, Germany, Oman and Syria. International Literacy Institute (ILI) Established in 1994 by UNESCO and the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, with the mission of providing leadership in research, development, and training in the broad field of international literacy and development, with an emphasis on developing countries. Statistical Profile of Education in sub-Saharan Africa (SPESSA) SPESSA is a windows-based program allowing easy access to education data and indicators for sub-Saharan Africa. Asia/Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO (ACCU) ACCU implements various regional literacy programs to promote literacy education and to contribute to achieving EFA in Asia and the Pacific, in cooperation with UNESCO Principal Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (PROAP), government agencies and NGOs in the Member States of UNESCO.

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