Progress & challenges
with implementation of
the Literacy Initiative for
Empowerment (LIFE)
Hassana Alidou
LIFE Coordinator
[email protected]
www.unesco.org/uil
What is LIFE all about?
• A ten-year framework of collaborative
action (2006-2015) for enhancing and improving
national literacy efforts in the areas of policy,
advocacy, capacity-building and innovations
• Contribution to the achievement of EFA, UNLD,
BfA and MDGs
• Focus on 35 countries with literacy rates < 50%
and/or a population > 10 million who cannot
read or write
• 85% of the world‘s non-literate population
resides in these 35 countries (9 are from AsiaPacific region)
2
LITERACY
LIFE
UNLD
Education for All
(EFA)
Dakar Goals 3, 4, 5
MDGs
LIFE aims
• to reinforce national and international
commitments to literacy,
• to support the articulation of sustainable literacy
policies,
• to strengthen national capacities,
• to enhance countries’ innovative initiatives in
providing literacy learning opportunities, and
• to foster cooperation and solidarity among
countries.
4
Assessment of LIFE
• LIFE reported as one of the
highlights in the UNLD Mid-decade
review (2008)
• LIFE assessed as an effective and
efficient mechanism for planning, capacity
development & partnership building by
external evaluators of UNESCO Education
Sector's work (2009)
5
Progress assessed by UIL
 Evidence of renewed
commitment and political
will (new ministries, budget
increases, first ladies‘
involvement, etc.)
 Contribution to the
development of capacities
for the design of policies
(most visible in the case of six
LIFE countries receiving
extra-budgetary grants)
6
Progress assessed by UIL
 Improved capacities in
delivery of literacy
programmes of good quality
(gender mainstreaming,
curriculum, training of trainers,
use of ICTs, multilingual
literate environments, etc.)
 Experience-sharing, peer
review, online discussion
forum are examples of how
knowledge has been
generated and disseminated
to promote innovation
7
Mid-Term Review of LIFE in Africa
• Ouagadougou,
Burkina Faso
• 3-5 March 2010
• 80 participants
– National LIFE
representatives from
16 countries (Gov’t)
– NGOs with good
practices,
– UNESCO (BREDA,
IICBA, HQ, UIL and
UNESCO focal points)
• Report of Workshop
(available in French)
Education for All in Africa (UNESCO Regional Office in Dakar, 2005)
8
Review of LIFE in Africa
PART I
Areas of Good Practices:
• Advocacy and communication for L/NFE
• Strengthening capacity for policy development
• Strengthening capacity for the implementation of
effective programmes
• Knowledge sharing
• Mobilization of resources for L/NFE
• Innovations
9
Good Practices: Advocacy and
communcation for L/NFE
• Participation of First Ladies How to use advocacy to
in advocating for literacy
and NFE (Burkina Faso,
improve resource
Nigeria, Niger,
allocation for literacy and
Mozambique)
• ‘Programme Vigoureux
NFE?
pour l’alphabétisation’ with
the participation of the
President (Mali)
• Media (Radio/ Television)
broadly involved in
dissemination and raising
awareness for literacy
(Nigeria, Niger, The
10
Gambia)
Good Practices: Strengthening
Capacity for policy development
• Strategic partnership with
technical and financial partners to What type of natl. strategy
develop policies: challenges and
countries have
envisaged solutions (The
Gambia)
designed in order to
• National consultation on policy
development (Guinea)
carry out down• L/NFE systematically integrated in
sectoral programmes: state-of-the streaming activities at
art and perspectives (CAR)
• Process of developing sub
the regional and
sectorial strategies on L/NFE to
be integrated into SWAPs (RDC)
provincial levels?
• Gender mainstreaming +Adoption
of national plan for bilingual
education approach (Burkina
Faso)
11
Good Practices: Strengthening capacity
for the implementation of effective
programmes
• International Literacy
Prize 2009 (Burkina
Faso)
• Experience of ALFA
TV in Guinea-Bissau
• Programme EQJA
(Senegal)
• Radio éducative pour
l’alpha- Training of
Trainers (Cap Verde)
How to systematically
up-scale literacy
activities and (to
reach EFA goals 3, 4,
5 by 2015)?
12
Good Practices:
Knowledge Sharing
• LIFE Website (Senegal)How to improve/increase
• NFE MIS (Niger,
the use of ICT for sharing
Senegal)
knowledge, experience
• LIFEline (UIL/UNESCO)
and good practice (also
for South-South
cooperation)?
13
Good Practices:
Mobilization of resources for L/NFE
• FTI et L/NFE (Benin)
• Basket funding (Burkina
Faso)
• Financial allocation by the
gouvernement (Nigeria)
How to develop effective
strategies in order to
mobilize resources at the
national level?
14
What have we learned?
• Involvement of highest level decision-makers
to mobilise resources
• Use of media (radio, TV) for advocacy,
training and up-scaling
• Strategic partnerships
• NFE integrated in (sub-)sector strategies
(SWAPs, FTI)
• Gender-mainstreaming and adoption of
bilingual approach
• Knowledge & exchange platforms
15
PART II:
Challenges and
Recommendations
16
LIFE conceptual framework
Challenge
The countries do not have a clear understanding of
LIFE as a framework of collaborative actions set by
UNESCO
17
Country level coordination of LIFE activities
Challenges
The role of LIFE focal point is not fully understood
The appointment of LIFE focal point should be
revisited
Only LIFE focal points participate in LIFE capacity
building activities
Very little evidence of multiplier effect
18
Recommendations
• Up-scaling good practices
• Promoting South-South cooperation
• Using various funding mechanisms such as EFA FTI
to mobilise more resources for literacy
• Data – conduct effective diagnosis through the
collection of accurate data on literacy
• Use ICT to expand access and improve quality
• Promoting multilingual and multicultural approaches
• Linking literacy to TVET
UNESCO’s support: Advocacy
Challenges
Literacy and NFE are not prioritized by the gov’ts even
though the majority have expressed political support
for this sub-sector of education.
Very few countries have increased the budget of
literacy and NFE since 2006
A more effective advocacy strategy is needed in most
of LIFE countries.
20
UNESCO’s support: Sustainable and costeffective approach to strengthen national capacity
Challenges
Institutional and organizational capacities
needs to be strengthened
Capacity of literacy experts needs to be
strengthened:
• Advocacy and resource mobilization
• Gender-based policy formulation, implementation
and evaluation
• Curriculum design, implementation and evaluation
• Integration of ICT into literacy training and
acquisition.
21
Recommendations
• Up-scaling good practices
• Promoting South-South cooperation
• Using various funding mechanisms such as EFA FTI
to mobilise more resources for literacy
• Data – conduct effective diagnosis through the
collection of accurate data on literacy
• Use ICT to expand access and improve quality
• Promoting multilingual and multicultural approaches
• Linking literacy to TVET
PART III
WAY FORWARD
23
The way forward
 Mid-term evaluation of LIFE is planned
2011
for
 Ongoing CONFINTEA VI follow-up process: One
of the Conference‘s five key thematic strands
focuses on literacy & key competencies
 E-9 countries process (from Beijing to Belém to
Abuja)  Abuja Framework for Action and
Cooperation
 LIFE will benefit from UNESCO‘s next biennial
plan (2012-2013) that emphasizes literacy
24