Multi-country research in Africa on measuring learning outcomes of literacy programmes

As the debates of the high-level African Regional Conference in Support of Global Literacy (2007) emphasised, more accurate data on the competences and learning outcomes achieved through literacy programmes is needed for optimising policies and strategies, justifying the good use of resources and in mobilising new resources and strategies are to be developed. There is a high demand for appropriate, locally-relevant instruments to measure the progress and immediate effects of learning on the lives of learners who participate in literacy programmes. Such data will be instrumental for developing monitoring and evaluation indicators for literacy programmes and competence frameworks which are currently being developed in many African countries. UIL has initiated a multi-country research on measuring learning outcomes of literacy programmes. The study will be conducted by five countries: Burkina Faso, Mali, Morocco, Niger and Senegal. The country teams will be supported by an international steering committee consisting of UIL, UNESCO Institute for Statistics, UNESCO Headquarter, the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in Africa (BREDA) through the Pôle de Dakar, the Conference of Francophone Ministers of Education (CONFEMEN), the Working Group on Non-formal Education (WGNFE) of the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), the French National Agency to fight illiteracy (ANLCI), and the French Cooperation.

Cross-regional Action Research Framework for Adult Literacy in Multilingual Contexts 

Education and learning in multilingual contexts was one of the major issues discussed in the Regional Conferences in Global Support of Literacy (2007-2008), the Regional Literacy Initiative for Empowerment (LIFE) meetings (2007-2008) and during the Sixth International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA VI) process (2008-2009). The outcome documents of these conferences reflect the fact that mother-tongue-based, multilingual programmes are increasingly being accepted as a necessary element for (i) quality education, (ii) the development of literate environments, and (iii) social development that strengthens the potential of all citizens in a democratic society. Participants in these events called for research evidence and increased capacity in order to improve policies and practices.

In a cross-regional workshop in 2010 on adult literacy in multilingual contexts specialists from the Arab, Asian and African regions developed a set of evidence- and practice-based principles and criteria for effective curricula, the training of trainers and the creation of multilingual literate environments. In order to show how action research can be used to evaluate and improve existing adult literacy policies and provision, a guide is currently being developed in collaboration with the specialists.

UIL’s partners in this project were the UNESCO Field Office Addis Ababa, the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in Africa (BREDA), and the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO).

Evaluation of the progress of LIFE in Africa  

Through the Literacy Initiative for Empowerment (LIFE, 2006-2015), UNESCO provides support to 18 African countries. LIFE is designed to accelerate literacy in 35 countries in which literacy poses a critical challenge. In March 2010 LIFE focal points, Government Directors of Literacy, regional and UN organisations, key NGOs and private sector representatives met in order to evaluate the progress of LIFE in Africa.
    
The workshop revealed that LIFE has significantly contributed to strengthening national capacities for the formulation of gender-sensitive literacy policies and programmes. In some countries initiatives spearheaded by First Ladies mobilised political and financial support for literacy, and new ministries for literacy and non-formal education helped to increase the visibility of literacy in national development priorities. Furthermore, innovative practices particularly for women and rural populations have been promoted through South-South exchange.

The workshop also identified key challenges and recommendations to be addressed at regional level. These comprised the (i) development of an evidence-based advocacy strategy and adequate resource allocation to support political commitment to literacy, (ii) an enhanced understanding of LIFE and coordination as a framework of collaborative action at all levels and among all stakeholders that can be linked to other programmes, and (iii) better use of ICTs to enhance access to literacy programmes.

 video record of the workshop