Developing Post-Literacy Programmes for Women

Literacy Training in South Asia

Illiteracy is widespread throughout much of South Asia. In consequence of traditional patterns of gender discrimination in the subregion, it is most highly concentrated among women. Female literacy rates in Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan are about half of those recorded for males.

Although governments and NGOs have established curriculum and teaching methods for basic literacy, there is a growing concern that functionally literate females, without appropriate follow-up, could relapse into illiteracy.

ESCAP has developed a project to formulate effective post-literacy programmes for women in these four countries. The objective of the project Promoting HRD for Women through Post-Literacy Programme Development is to improve the administration of literacy education through enhancing the management and technical skills of local-level NGOs involved in literacy promotion.

The post-literacy programme being developed under this project, based on the consolidated experience of NGOs, governments, UNESCO and ESCAP, can be used as a prototype in ESCAP countries in need of effective adult literacy programmes. As the project will consider issues related to the effective management of post-literacy courses at the local level, the project is expected to contribute to the strengthening of managerial capabilities of local NGOs.

Activities and Time schedule

August - October 1996	Baseline surveys of existing post-literacy projects in each participating country
January 1997	Field study/workshop of literacy experts to develop a manual for developing post-literacy programmes
February - December 1997	National-level and local-level workshops
January - December 1998	Local-level post-literacy programmes for women
July - December 1998	National evaluation workshops
January 1999	Regional evaluation workshop
May - July 1999	Publication of operational manual on development of post-literacy programmes

Partner organizations in this project are: Dhaka Ahsania Mission in Bangladesh; the Rajasthan Adult Education Association in India; World Education in Nepal; and the National Rural Support Programme in Pakistan.

The project is being implemented with technical support from the UNESCO Principal Regional Office for Asia and Pacific. The project is funded by the Government of the Netherlands.

Click here for information on a literacy project in South-East Asia and the Pacific.