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Adult Literacy / Non Formal
Education programs encourage participants to participate in the life
of his or her community. At the individual and the societal levels,
these programs allow individuals to:
- respond to democratic
aspirations
- create a culture of peace
- reinforce identities
- cultivate an educated and active
citizenry
- reduce inequality between the sexes
Empowerment
Through education, participants in Adult
Literacy and Non Formal Education programs gain higher
self-esteem. The participants in those programs
acquire greater confidence in themselves and a greater sense of
self-initiative. Empowerment is one of the most significant benefits
of Adult Literacy and Non Formal Education programs. The
effect of education on self-esteem and self-confidence is especially
significant among women in strongly male-dominated
societies.
Social
Change
Individuals empowered through Adult
Literacy and Non Formal Education programs have a higher capacity
and desire for social change. The cycle of processes that leads from
individual empowerment to social change was researched and brought
to light by Brazilian educator, Paulo Freire. Freire
stressed that a person is fundamentally a social being and that each
individual is unique. He taught to ‘Be yourself’ and respect
other peoples’ ‘self’. He developed this insight and
linked it to social and educational processes. He argued that
in order to transform the world, the world had to be 'humanized' and
that it is important to humanize the self in order to humanize
others’ reality.
Some of the key concepts in Freire's work
are as follows:
- it is not possible to split theory from
action
- learners must be given the space and capacity to
develop their own theories
- top down transfer of knowledge does not
work
- people’s involvement in the creation of
knowledge through struggle is the key to ensuring a proper
learning process
The
World Bank and Social Funds
"Social Funds allow poor people and communities to
become actively involved in their own development. Social funds
support small projects ranging from infrastructure and social
services to training and micro enterprise development which have
been identified by communities and presented to the social fund for
financing. Social funds appraise, finance and supervise these
grants, which then may be managed by a wide range of actors,
including local governments, NGOs, line ministries, community groups
and local project committees". http://wbln0018.worldbank.org/HDNet/hddocs.nsf/2d5135ecbf351de6852566a90069b8b6/37f283c2c782f76d8525688e00813c44?OpenDocument
Social Funds - Evaluations:
http://www.worldbank.org/poverty/impact/practice/socfund.htm
Democracy
The creation and the preservation of
democracy begins with well-informed citizens. Every citizen is
responsible for protecting his or her own rights. Adult
Literacy and Non Formal Education programs raise participants'
awareness of their rights and provide them with the information
and skills to protect them.
Equality
In many countries, girls do not have
equal access to education as boys. Adult Literacy and Non
Formal Education programs provide a means for girls and women to
gain literacy and other functional skills and offer an
opportunity to attend schools and to advance their
studies. Adult Literacy and Non Formal Education programs
provide a woman with the skills and knowledge necessary to provide
for herself and her family. In many societies, the woman
is responsible for the livelihoods of her extended family. In
addition to learning to read, to write and to calculate, literacy
class and NFE classes teach women technical and income-generating
skills. Such skills help women to gain their economic
independence.
As mentioned above, Adult Literacy
and Non Formal Education programs improve the self-esteem and
self-confidence of female participants. Women often face
discrimination and violence at home and in their
communities. These programs provide the knowledge and
means to confront issues of inequality.
Knowledge, skills and attitudes acquired
through an Adult Literacy and Non Formal Education program allow
women to take more active roles in their communities. By
familiarizing themselves with communication skills, technologies and
social and administrative processes, and by having greater access to
information, women are in a better position to defend their rights
and to achieve equality.
Conflict
Situations
With its capacity to reach adults and
youth who missed formal schooling opportunities, Adult Literacy and
Non Formal Education programs can play a key role in conflict and
post-conflict situations. These programs may be used as
opportunities for adults and youth to identify the sources of
conflict and to take steps to mediate and negotiate toward a
solution.
Adult Literacy and Non Formal
Education may be the last resort for education for vulnerable
populations, such as those who have lost erything and find
themselves in refugee camps or young soldiers who have returned from
civil war.
Environment
Adult Literacy / Non Formal Education
programs offer the opportunity to increase awareness of
environmental issues. Dissemination of environmental information
through these programs may help to stimulate action among its
participants. Lakshmanan Ariasingam (1999) provided evidence in his
paper, illustrated by case studies from Colombia, Indonesia, Mexico, the
Philippines and Trinidad
and Tobago, that
empowering civil societies to monitor the environment
through environmental education for primary and secondary
students, environmental awareness programs for the public, and
efforts to improve the functional literacy of targeted groups
improve the effectiveness and sustainability of environmental
projects.
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