Selection of Effective Adult Literacy
and Numeracy Programmes

Homepage Programmes

Namibia

National Literacy Programme

Government of the Republic of Namibia

Context

The majority of Namibia’s population of less than two million inhabitants depends on the informal subsistence sector. Societal problems mainly arise from the disparities in income distribution, unemployment and poverty. 60 percent of the population lives below the poverty threshold, while unemployment among young people aged between 25 and 29 stands at 19 percent for young men and 20 percent for young women. In rural areas, the average unemployment rate is 40 percent compared to 30 percent in urban areas. Linking literacy to skills development, in particular at the community level, is therefore critical for the enhancement of the communal subsistence economy and its integration into the mainstream cash economy.

The National Literacy Programme in Namibia (NLPN) was officially launched in September 1992, two years after independence and as a result of tireless efforts by Namibians, both in exile – the SWAPO Literacy Campaign liberation movement – and inside the country – through the NGO “Namibia Literacy Programme – during the struggle for liberation. Since 1992, the programme has gradually expanded from a total of about 15,000 learners taught by 700 promoters in the first year to about 36,000 learners and 2000 promoters for all three stages of the programme in 1994/95. In 1999, there were some 46,000 learners. Two general evaluations were carried out in 1995 and 1999, and the third is expected soon. The NLPN has succeeded in raising the national literacy rate from the 65 percent quoted in the 1991 population and housing census to 81.3 percent in the 2001 population and housing census.

Programme

The government’s vision is for Namibia to become a fully literate nation and its short-term goal is to attain a literacy rate of 90 percent by 2015. The overall objective is to promote social, cultural, political and economic development. The adult literacy policy therefore aims to:

• promote literacy in local languages and in English, and also provide basic numeracy;
• promote further learning with a view to reducing existing educational inequalities;
• enhance people’s communication capacity, self-confidence and information base;
• enhance the participation of all people in the democratic process, including the exercising of their rights and responsibilities as citizens;
• enhance the capacity of both youth and adults to become more productive and self-reliant; and
• enable parents, both mothers and fathers, to participate in the improvement of their children’s lives, particularly by exposing the parents to useful health practices and enabling them to share the knowledge, skills and educational practices that they have acquired through the NLPN with their children.

The Directorate of Adult Education (DAE), located in the Department of Lifelong Learning in the Ministry of Basic Education, Sport and Culture, is responsible for the provision of literacy and numeracy skills training to the out-of-school youth and illiterate adults, with the aim of enabling them to contribute more effectively to national development. Currently, the Directorate tries to fulfill its mission through the NLPN, which is an integral part of the national education system and of the governmental commitment to National Development and EFA. The literacy phase of the Adult Basic Education programme comprises three formative one-year stages, involving at least 240 lesson hours.

The emphasis during the first two stages is on mother tongue literacy and basic numeracy. In stage 2, learners are also introduced to life skills issues, such as agriculture, health, small scale business and civic education, among others. In stage 2, promoters are encouraged to introduce some spoken English (“dual literacy approach”). Stage 3, which is equivalent to Grade 4 of formal primary education and is the last stage of the Basic Literacy Programme, is dedicated to developing basic and functional English skills. The task of literacy promoters is to create an environment suitable for communication in English. Emphasis is also placed on reinforcing developmental activities. Graduates from these three stages can continue their education by choosing one of three options:

1. Adult Upper Primary Education (AUPE). This is a three-year course for those who have completed stage 3 or Grade 4. It has its own curriculum which includes general knowledge in addition to language and numeracy. The “language of business” is also an important component of this curriculum. Learners take two subjects per year. There are four compulsory and two optional courses.
2. Adults skills development for self-employment. This project was piloted in the Karas and Oshana regions with the objective of providing an approach to adult non-formal training activities at national, regional and district levels. The main goal of the project is to provide a better service to the community by harnessing adult education to create employment opportunities. It contributes towards national efforts to alleviate poverty through affording those who have acquired basic literacy skills with the entrepreneurial skills needed for self-employment and employment in both urban and rural areas. Graduates from the literacy programme are trained in various entrepreneurial skills which eventually enable them to acquire finances to establish small-scale businesses. Some of the learners continue to study at the National Foundation for Community Skills Development Centres (COSDEC) where they learn skills related to plumbing and bricklaying, among others.
3. Community Learning and Development Centres. Many of these centres are being established in rural areas where there are no libraries for those who have acquired reading and writing skills. The aim is to provide access to reading material and promote a culture of reading and learning in the country.

Regional and district level officers oversee the implementation of the programme in the different regions. Efforts have been made to decentralise all literacy activities, including curriculum development, and to involve regional staff in the development of materials.

As the central office was responsible for developing the framework of the NLPN curriculum, the emphasis is to strike a balance between national, regional and/or local contents. Learning materials are developed in 11 national languages, in addition to English. DEA also publishes a newsletter.

Literacy classes are part-time, usually meeting three times a week for two hours. The teachers are also employed on a part-time basis. Newly recruited promoters go through an initial, three-week course of training and are provided with short, monthly refresher courses. A learner-centred methodological approach is used for literacy teaching and learning. Group discussions and story-telling are two of the methods commonly used.

The programme was initially funded by the Netherlands, the Swedish International Development Agency and the Namibian Government. Today, it is funded entirely by the government with funds provided in its regular annual budget. The Namibian Government is the main facilitator and sponsor of the NLPN. However, ownership of the programme rests with the community, which is expected to participate in planning, directing, monitoring and evaluating all programme related activities.

Lessons learned

Some of the main lessons learned include:

a)

The challenge is to sustain the programme by improving the quality both of the services offered and of the learning environment. There is a therefore a need for sector-wide and cross-sectoral support for the programme including support from political leaders at all levels, employers in the private and public sectors, government ministries at central and regional levels, trade unions, churches, youth and women’s organizations, donors and the media;

b)

Overall, the literacy programme has a very high turnout of women, both as learners and promoters. It appears to be more attractive for women, while enrolling more men is proving to be a major challenge. This is due in part to the fishing and mining industries’ system of migrant labour;

c)

There is a need to gradually develop post-literacy programmes to a stage equivalent to Grade 7 in formal school;

d)

There is also a need to establish a mechanism for increasing awareness and support for adult skills development. Community empowerment through skills development and the promotion of enterprise are promising strategies to successfully face the country’s social and economic challenges; and

e)

The establishment of Community Learning and Development Centres has contributed towards sustaining the literacy skills acquired.

Contact

Bornface Katombolo Mukono
Deputy Director, Directorate of Adult Education (DAE)
Ministry of Basic Education, Sport and Culture,
Government Office Park (Luther Street)
Private Bag 13186
Windhoek
Namibia
bmukono@mec.gov.na