ESCAP HRD Newsletter No 11: Raising Literacy, Reducing Poverty

United Nations ESCAP
HRD Section

Regional Seminar on Poverty Alleviation through HRD held in China

Raising Literacy, Reducing Poverty

The Government of China has made many efforts to eradicate poverty in the country over the past decades. These efforts have met with considerable success. The population under the official poverty line has been reduced from 250 million in 1978 to approximately 50 million in 1998. Notwithstanding this achievement, the Government has embarked on a national plan to eradicate poverty.

Centres of Excellence

Publications

Site Map

About Us

From ESCAP HRD Newsletter No 11, December 1998

A regional Seminar on Poverty Alleviation through Human Resources Development was held in Kunming and Luxi County, Yunnan Province, China, in October 1998. The Meeting was organized by ESCAP in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the Yunnan Provincial Education Commission. Financial support for the Seminar was provided by the Government of China.

In addition to a national poverty indicator for China, the poverty line has been set at different levels for various regions, as well as during different periods. Despite the debate surrounding the use of different poverty line measurements, all measures indicate that poverty has been greatly reduced over the past three decades. Over this time, the remaining poverty has increasingly become a problem in remote rural areas, often populated by indigenous peoples. At the same time, poverty and unemployment remain a problem for urban areas. China's past strategies for poverty alleviation have included strong policy and financial support from the Government, economic and educational reforms, and increased community participation.

Various case studies were presented on the elimination of illiteracy and the eradication of poverty in various provinces, prefectures and counties of China. The Seminar aimed to exchange experiences on successful HRD approaches to alleviating poverty, focusing on the successful experience of China and other countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The Seminar was attended by experts from Bangladesh, China, India, and the Philippines.

The introduction of market mechanisms in the economy and the adoption of an integrated approach by the Government to poverty alleviation have been some of the key reasons for growth in most parts of China. Through the simultaneous implementation of both adult literacy education and the nine-year compulsory education programme, illiteracy levels have dropped dramatically in many areas of the country. Higher literacy has enabled the rural poor to acquaint themselves with the technical skills necessary for increasing their income, and has thus reduced the incidence of poverty.

Local governments' education policies have focused on improving the quality of basic education, and adjusting the structure of the educational system to meet local needs. They have also taken measures to ensure the implementation of the education programme. These measures were taken under the overall policy of the Government of China to allocate a high level of responsibility and accountability to local governments in attaining higher educational standards through literacy education and compulsory education. This policy has made a very positive impact on the poverty situation of the country.

Furthermore, substantial investments have been made by local and central governments in improving school buildings and physical facilities, as well as in increasing remuneration and skills of teachers. Finally, there has also been an introduction of an educational inspection system to ensure implementation of legislation.

A presentation on education and skills development for poverty alleviation in Asia and the Pacific was made by Mr Ahmadullah Mia, former Executive Director, Underprivileged Children's Education Programme (UCEP), Dhaka. In his presentation, he reviewed some of the experiences in poverty alleviation in the region. It was noted that economic growth had not resulted in social and human development commensurate to the growth, nor benefited the poor as desired. The merit of an emphasis solely on economic growth as an approach to development has, therefore, been subject to serious debate. Human resources development has been recognized to be an end as well as a means of development. It is therefore considered to be an essential tool for the eradication of poverty.

Ms Hina Shah, Director, International Centre for Entrepreneurship and Career Development (ICECD), Ahmedabad, India, presented a paper on women's empowerment and entrepreneurship development for poverty alleviation in South Asia. She reviewed the overall policy and approach on the role of micro-enterprise development in poverty alleviation, as well as specific strategies on associated operational procedures, with a special focus on South Asia. Ms Shah also summarized the evolution of the women in development (WID) approach within poverty alleviation work. She highlighted the enormous potential to involve women in entrepreneurship development as a critical, yet under-utilized, tool for poverty alleviation.

Mr Robert Francis Garcia, Executive Director, Popular Education for People's Empowerment (PEPE), Manila, gave a presentation on the theme of popular education as a means of reaching the grassroots people and empowerment. He noted some problems in the current education system of the Philippines, which has called for a new approach to education. Popular education has been such an approach. It seeks to empower learners from an equal and just perspective, and is based on the real needs and aspirations of the people. Mr Garcia further elaborated on some experiences in applying the concept of popular education at the grassroots level in the Philippines. These experiences have had some very positive effects on the position and negotiating power of learners in society.

In his presentation on the successful promotion of human resources development for poverty alleviation, Mr K.P. Kannan, Fellow in Development Economics, Centre for Development Studies, Trivandrum, India, reviewed the experience of the Kerala State, India. Kerala's success in alleviating absolute poverty has been well recognized. Poverty and deprivation indicators such as the Human Development Index (HDI), when taken out of the national context of India, have been at a par with some of the more industrialized countries of South-East Asia, and are far higher than those at the national level. While noting the substantial contribution of the Kerala State Government in absorbing household consumption of the poor through direct subsidies and indirect income transfers, a key explanation of the relatively low level of poverty has been the popular demand for literacy and education in the State. The demand has been brought about by a number of social movements, which have argued for provision of education to the poor since the beginning of the century.

The Seminar considered some recommendations for future action, in particular those that could be incorporated in the current work of the ESCAP Secretariat in undertaking a regional training initiative to enhance the skills of social development personnel working for poverty alleviation. A training course, entitled the ESCAP HRD Course for Poverty Alleviation, is being developed as part of that regional training initiative. The Course is designed for social service personnel both at the policy-making level and those at the programme management level.

ESCAP was requested to further disseminate successful HRD approaches for poverty alleviation through publications and conferences, such as conferences on small-scale enterprise development. A suggestion was also made for an ESCAP-China jointly sponsored training for women's entrepreneurship development.

In the area of poverty alleviation through HRD in China, eleven problems and suggestions for solutions were identified, shown in the table below:

Problem		Solution
1	Low level of educational attainment and technical qualifications of the population.	Eradicate illiteracy and raise awareness for modernization; combine literacy education with practical skills training.
2	Need for innovative human resources development programmes.	Reform of the educational system including improvement of the relevance of the school curriculum, vocational training and other educational innovations.
3	Insufficient knowledge of science and technology among the rural population.	Popularize science and technology education and its applications, particularly through vocational and technical education.
4	Lack of systematic interventions for women's development (economic, social and political).	Introduce systematic, need-based, result-oriented development programmes for women; awareness- raising in society on women's issues.
5	Inadequate awareness and preparedness to the problems related to environmental issues.	Raise awareness through environmental education and improve skills for environmental management among policy makers in poverty-stricken areas.
6	Scarcity of entrepreneurship spirit.	Train trainers for (women's) entrepreneurship development; Raise awareness among policy makers to introduce conducive policies; Conduct research on successful cases; Strengthen education for self development and self-help.
7	Need for evaluation of educational interventions for poverty alleviation and strengthened research methodologies.	Training in collection, processing, and comparison of statistical data; Training in topics related to theories, concepts and measurement of poverty; Development of a common framework for comparison of case studies on poverty alleviation; Comparative studies on the relationship between education and poverty alleviation, including preferential treatment for specific areas.
8	Need for strengthening implementation and strategies or governmental policies in poverty alleviation.	More information and training for policy makers to enhance governmental policy implementation, option, and strategies for poverty alleviation, including preferential treatment for specific areas.
9	Scarce participation of NGOs in poverty alleviation, lack of government support for participation and self-help.	Invite the participation of NGOs in poverty alleviation and promote consultative processes; Raise considerations at the grassroots level for self-help activities and programme support for them.
10	Lack of awareness on good governance; decentralization and participatory principles for poverty alleviation activities.	Provide training on participatory approaches (why and how) in governance.
11	Lack of gender sensitivity in poverty alleviation policies and programmes.	Raise gender awareness among policy makers and development organizations.