improving literacy

8/3/2019 Improving Literacy

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Traditionally literacy has been commonly defined as the ability to read and write at an adequate

level of proficiency that is necessary for communication. More recently however, literacy hastaken on several meanings. Technological literacy, mathematical literacy, and visual literacy are

just a few examples. While it may be difficult to gauge the degree to which literacy has an

impact on an individuals overall happiness, one can easily infer that an increase in literacy will

lead to the improvement of an individuals life and the development of societies.

While in developed nations, the majority of the population over the age of 17 possesses basic

literacy skills in reading and writing,, the rate of literacy in developing nations is much lower.This lack of widespread literacy hinders the further development of such nations. International

agencies like UNESCO are campaigning to raise literacy rates worldwide. While progress has

been made and literacy rates have increased, the growth in population worldwide has led to afurther expansion of illiterate individuals. UNESCO has found a correlation between illiteracy

and poverty, low life expectancy, and political oppression.

Literacy campaigns around the world also include programs to increase the level of adult

literacy. Increasing literacy rates among adults can serve several purposes. Equipping adults withbasic literacy skills can enable them to be more proactive when it comes to their childs

education. As this works to increase literacy, political conditions in oppressive countries mayimprove. Moreover an increase in literate adults means an increase in individuals campaigning

for education as a fundamental human right.

Sri Lanka is an example of a developing nation that has shown a dramatic increase in literacy. Sri

Lanka has a literacy rate of 96%, one of the highest literacy rates in all of South Asia and much

higher than that expected of a developing country. This can be attributed to the countrys policy

of providing free education to all children regardless of income. Additionally, the illiteracy ratefor adults 15-24 is only 4.4% according to the 2001 census.

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Pakistan vows 85% literacy rate by 2015

Pakistan vows 85% literacy rate by 2015

English_Xinhua 2009-09-09 01:16:10 Print

ISLAMABAD, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani said here Tuesday

that the government is committed to achieving the goal of 85 percent literacy rate by 2015, the local

NNI news agency reported.

Addressing a seminar marking the International Literacy Day, he said education is the top priority of

the government, which has declared 2010 as year of literacy.

He said education plays an important role in overall socio-economic development of the country. The

government has allocated over 31 billion rupees in the budget this year for the education sector. The

government will raise the education budget to four percent of GDP from the existing 2.4 percent.

The prime minister said special emphasis is being laid on women education so that they could play

constructive role in overall economic development of the country.

He said a special meeting of the four Provincial Chief Ministers will be held in Islamabad on

Wednesday to finalize the draft of new education policy.

The prime minister said that the government would not allow a handful of miscreants to put at stake

the future of the coming generation.

He said the maximum resources would be diverted to rebuild schools and colleges damaged byterrorists in Malakand division in the country's troubled northwest.

Meanwhile, the prime minister also inaugurated adult literacy center in Peshawar, the capital of the

North West Frontier Province.

On the occasion he was informed that 100,000 adult literacy centers will be established for enhancing

literacy rate across the country.

Pakistan vows 85% literacy rate by 2015_English_Xinhua

Literacy Rate Illiterate Population


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43.2 % 46.7 million

source : 2000 figures estimated by UNESCO Institute for Statistics, July 2002

Definition of a Literate PersonA person is literate who can read and write a paragraph (3lines) in national/regional language with comprehension.

Name of National Literacy Agency

Prime Minister's Literacy Commision

View "Literacy Facts and Figures" of Pakistan

Structure of National LiteracyAgency

number of NGOs working in the field of literacy12

(1998)

number of literacy classes in most recent year ...
http://www.accu.or.jp/litdbase/stats/pak/index.htmhttp://www.accu.or.jp/litdbase/stats/pak/index.htmhttp://www.accu.or.jp/litdbase/stats/pak/index.htmhttp://www.accu.or.jp/litdbase/stats/pak/index.htmhttp://www.accu.or.jp/litdbase/stats/pak/index.htmhttp://www.accu.or.jp/litdbase/stats/pak/index.htm


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number of classroom hours designated to achieve

basic literacy270

National Policies and StrategiesNational Policies on Literacy/Non-formal Education in

Latest Policy Document on Education

a. Democratization of education through the expansion ofelementary education (both formal and non-formal methods),

and expanded adult education, literacy and functional literacy

programs, as a basic requirement for economic development,

modernization of social structure and for providing equality ofopportunity for all citizens.

b. Pakistan's New Educational Policy 1998-2010

The New National Education Policy 1998-2010 was announced

by the Government of Pakistan on 27 March 1998. It pledges todouble the literacy rate, universalize primary education,

replicate the non-formal schools to reach the un-reached, widen

the learning time by reducing school holidays, improve theassessment system through introduction of National Testing

Service, and initiate the decentralization process through the

formation of District Education Authorities.

The policy professes to prescribe the ideals and goals for

preparing foundation of a reformed educational system which

will make it possible for the nation to stand on its feet in thechanged socio-economic world.

New Education Policy- Special Thrusts

The government has resolved to eliminate illiteracy from thesociety and stands internationally committed to Universalize

Basic Education for all children, youth and adults by the year

2010.

The Prime Minister's Literacy Commission (PMLC) has been

entrusted the assignment of accomplishing this task through the

non-formal basic education approach. As per the enhancedprogramme the PMLC would open 75,000 new non-formal

basic education schools by the year 2002. Moreover, the

"Compulsory Primary Education Act" will be slightly amended


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and enforced by the Provincial Governments in letter and spirit.

The real impact of the new policy would need to be seen in

terms of the provisions which would be translated into actions;targets supported by correspondingly proportionate allocations

in the annual budgets; implementation of the restructuringproposals and pledges through appropriate institutionalmechanisms; and effective participation and involvement of

local communities through decentralized management of

schools by parents, local leaders, and ordinary citizens at thelocal district and village levels.

Current Literacy/Non-formal Education

Objectives/Strategies

a. Pakistan's commitment to double the rate of literacy by the year

2000 cannot be accomplished without achieving universalprimary education (UPE). This will be achieved by

complementing the formal primary school system by a strong

non-formal basic education initiative.

b. A massive Non-Formal Basic Education Program, on a war

footing, will be launched to provide access economically andexpeditiously to all the 5.5 million primary school age (5-9

years old) children who are at present out of school. The 10- to

14-year-old adolescents and youth who have missed primary

education, will be given a second chance through a condensedcrash course to enable them to complete the primary education

cycle in 2-3 years' time.

c. The Asian Development Bank sponsored a pilot project for 15to 25 years-old rural women. On successful completion, the

program is planned to be replicated nationwide.

d. Attainment of literacy, social and occupational skill training

programs will equip the beneficiaries with appropriate income

generation skills to ensure socio-economic development ofPakistan. Educated unemployed adults will also be able to

benefit from these skill-training programs.

e. Additional strategies, such as the tested Qur'anic Literacy

Program and other methods in collaboration with the othersectors, will be used to achieve universal literacy.

f. A Literacy Fund will be created to finance the literacy

movement in the country.

g. The National Literacy Movement will be launched on an

emergency basis in every village, tehsil and district. All parties

agree that elimination of illiteracy by the year 2010 will be


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achieved.

h. Mosques, wherever feasible, will be utilized as one of the

means of providing non-formal basic education to increaseliteracy.

i. The Prime Minister's Literacy Commission (PMLC) willprepare a plan of action, in consultation with provinces for a

coordinated effort in the National Literacy Movement.

j. The PMLC, which is the apex body entrusted with the task of

raising the literacy rate, will be strengthened as a Statutory

Body to enable it to discharge its functions effectively within

the minimum possible time. Adequate funds will be ensured toimplement policy targets.

k. All the appointments in the Non-Formal Basic Education

Community School/Centres will be made locally, inconsultation with the community, without any political

interference.

l. All the industrial units registered under the Factory Act would

consider it mandatory to make the employees and their

dependents literate. Similarly all the federal as well asprovincial agencies like WAPDA, Pakistan Steel, Directorates

of Industries, OPF, Chambers of Commerce, PTV, PBC etc.

shall be entrusted with the same responsibility.

m. Another useful resource available in the country, in the form of

Boy Scouts and Girl Guides, can be effectively used in the

expansion of literacy programs. It is estimated that there are

more than 870,000 Boy Scouts and more than 320,000 GirlGuides in Pakistan. These young people have the physical

capacity, intellectual motivation, emotional stability, spiritual

commitment and, above all, basic knowledge and experience towork with communities collectively in difficult circumstances.

They can be entrusted with the responsibility of implementing

some of the non-formal education programs. Based on theperformance and quality of service rendered, a system of merit

certification shall be introduced.

n. The number of existing Non-Formal Basic Education (NFBE)Community School/Centers will be increased from the existing

7,000 to 82,000 by the year 2002 to meet policy targets ofprimary education both through formal and non-formalmethods to enroll 5.5 million out-of-school children. The NFBE

Community Schools will neither be parallel nor permanent, but

will be used to accelerate universal access till formal schoolingbecomes available to the unreached.

o. The proposed targets for both the formal and non-formal basic


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education schools will need to be revised in the light of theCensus results made available by the end of 1998.

p. In hard-to-reach areas 25,000 NFBE Community Schools willbe gradually upgraded to the middle level, over the policy

period.

q. The implementation would require further resource inputs and

infrastructure at union council, district, province and national

level. At the national level, the PMLC would co-ordinate with

the operational structures at the sub-national level. A majorfunction of the national structure would be to catalyze

coordination in both planning and implementation at national-

provincial and inter-provincial levels. Similarly, at the

provincial level, each provincial structure would catalyzecoordination between provincial-district, and inter-districts, and

in a similar mode at the district and union council level.

r. The PMLC will involve and encourage all the organizations,particularly Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) in the

development of teacher training packages, learning materials,teaching aids, etc. The AIOU will also be involved in

developing post-literacy skill training programs through

distance learning. The teachers of NFBE Community Schoolswill be encouraged to take up PTC and CT courses of the AIOU

to enhance their skills.

s. Literacy Corps comprising College/University students/teachersshall be established for literacy programs during vacations.

t. Khankahs/Mazars (religious institutions) shall donate a portionof their earnings to the literacy fund.

u. Development grants to local governments shall be linked with

literacy programs.

v. If an illiterate prisoner becomes literate, the duration of his/her

imprisonment shall be shortened accordingly.

w. Driving and ammunition licenses shall be given only to literate

persons.

Lessons Learned from Past Literacy Programmes and

Activities

a. Programs not properly implemented with true spirit.

b. Financial constraints.

c. Lack of political commitment.

National Literacy Goals


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YEAR 1998 2000 2010

total adult literacy rate (%) 40.0 42.2 53.9

female adult literacy rate (%) 28.0 29.7 39.9

male adult literacy rate (%) 51.0 53.0 64.6(updated in May 1999)

Your feed-back / comments [email protected]

Copyright (c) UNESCO and the Asia/Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO, 1997

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HomeRegionalLahore Govt taking steps to improve literacy rate

THE NATION 22 Nov 2011

Govt taking steps to improve literacy ratePublished: January 13, 2011

LAHORE - Punjab Education Minister Mian Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman has said that the

provincial government for the first time in the countrys history has introduced far-reaching

reforms in education sector for improving quality of education and literacy rate to radically uplift

socio-economic conditions of people.
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nline/Regional/Karachi/22-Nov-2011/Five-killed-in-Chinese-convoy-attack-in-Balochistanhttp://nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Sports/22-Nov-2011/Haroon-Lorgat-to-step-down-as-ICC-chief-executive-in-2012mailto:[email protected]


9/15

He was addressing participants of one-day seminar on Regional Economic Cooperation in

South Asia organised by the Centre for South Asian Studies, New Campus at its seminar hallhere on Wednesday.

Former Foreign Secretary Shamshad Ahmad Khan, Prof Dr Muhammad Saleem Mazhar and

Prof Dr Javed Ahmad also addressed the audience.

The minister said the existing 2 per cent allocation for education was raised to 4 per cent, andknowledge of modern sciences and technology was imparted to the young generation, Pakistan

could not achieve its rightful and honourable place in the comity of advanced nations. Giving

details of the revolutionary measures adopted by the provincial leadership, the minister saidpresently there was not a single ghost school in the entire province. He said a huge amount equal

to total provincial development outlay of Rs 150 billion was required to cater to the missing

facilities in all the 63,000 schools of the province.He said the government was extending handsome scholarships to meet the academic expenses of

16,000 students out of the proceeds of Punjab Education Endowment Fund set up with seed

money of Rs 2 billion.

The private schools were also being compelled to adopt the curriculum of government run

schools for enforcement of a uniform system of education.State-of-the-art 2,486 IT labs costing Rs 5 billion have been provided at school level so that the

students could benefit from the latest computer and internet facility. He said Punjab had takenthe lead in introducing BS 4-years programme in 26 colleges of the province to ensure high-

quality education to student community.

Delivering his address, former foreign secretary Shamshad Ahmad Khan observed that 57Muslim countries possessed 70 per cent reserves of oil and gas of the world but their share in

world GDP is only 5 percent.

He said the weakest link responsible for our economic backwardness was the criminal neglect

shown to educational promotion by our successive rulers.He said we could not achieve 100 per cent literacy target by setting up islands of state-of-the-art

academic institutions for children of affluent classes surrounded by a sea of countless

government schools meant for students coming from resource-less and deprived families.

Prof Dr Muhammad Saleem Mazhar and Prof Dr Javed Ahmad also addressed the audience.

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10/15

Blogs Jobs Classifieds Sindh

Punjab Balochistan KP & FATA

AlertsSUPREME COURT IGNORED INTERNATIONAL LAW IN ITS VERDICT: BABAR AWAN

11:58 PST

Rural women uphold Pakistans literacy rateByShahbaz Rana

Published: February 15, 2011

Punjab the most educated province, literacy ratio dips in Sindh. DESIGN: NABEEL SAMAD

ISLAMABAD: The quest for knowledge in rural areas, particularly in females,

compensated for the declining trend of getting an education in cities, according to the

Pakistan Labour Force survey.
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In 2009-10 the literacy rate in Pakistan marginally increased to 57.7 per cent due to an increase

in the literacy ratio of females in rural areas. During the preceding year the literacy rate was 57.4per cent. The male literacy rate stood at 69.5 per cent while it was 45.2 per cent for females.

According to the official definition, the literacy rate is that percentage of the population ten years

and above which is able to read and write in any language.

Though more than half of the rural population is illiterate, the ratio improved by over half a

percentage point to 49.2 per cent by June 30, 2010 due to an increasing number of women and

girls who can read and write. The female literacy ratio improved to 34.2 per cent, a progress of

0.8 per cent in a year. In rural areas, the 63.6 per cent male literacy rate improved by only 0.4 percent in comparison. The literacy rate in urban areas marginally declined due to a dip in the

number of men who qualify as literate. The urban literacy ratio decreased 0.1 per cent to 73.2 per

cent, due to a fractional reduction in the male literacy rate. At present more than eight out of ten

urban males are educated but the ratio is below that of 2008-09.

The provincial literacy rates also depict interesting trends. In Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa,the number of educated people increased, while it decreased in Sindh. The figure remained

stagnant in Balochistan at 51.5 per cent. Punjab turned out to be the most educated province,

followed by Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber -Pakhtunkhwa.

In Sindh the percentage of educated people dropped by one per cent to 58.2 per cent in 2009-10.The declining ratios were witnessed across the divide, rural, urban, females and males. Contraryto that in Punjab the literacy rate increased to 59.6 per cent. Over half of the rural population is

literate and the urban literacy ratio stood at almost three-fourth in the province.

In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa the literacy rate increased to 50.9 per cent, a progress of almost one per

cent. The rural literacy rate increased to 48.4 per cent but the urban literacy dipped by 0.4 percent. The urban literacy rate increased while the rural literacy rate declined.

In terms of level of education, near four out of ten literate people are not even matriculates.

Another one out of ten is below intermediate, the survey reveals. Only 4.7 per cent of the total

literate population has cleared intermediate but not bachelors and just 4.3 per cent have abachelors or above. Even today over four out of ten Pakistanis are illiterate according to official

figures.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 15th, 2011.

Improving literacy through television


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By Ismat Riaz

November 14, 2010

Recently, the visionary who shaped and made Sesame Street, the children`s educational

programme through song and animation such a success in the USA, passed away in Burlington,Mass, USA. Gerald S. Lesser was a Harvard psychologist who became Sesame Street`s longtimeeducational advisor. Dr Lesser was an emeritus professor at the Harvard School of Education

where he taught from 1963 till his retirement in 1998. From 1969-1996, he played a vital role in

shaping the programme`s curriculum which would achieve specific cognitive, affective and

outreach educational goals.

The curriculum prepared pre-schoolers, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, for

school as studies had shown that they lagged a year behind their middle-class peers when theystarted grade one. It was also unprecedented that a realistic setting of an inner city and

neighbourhood was used as the background.

Sesame Street, with its combination of puppets, animation, humour and cultural references is

meant for American children and has found acclaim and success across the USA. It is the first

pre-school educational television programme to target children aged 2-5 to be able to recite theirA B C`s, recognise letters and the sound of letters. The show also teaches counting, cognitive

skills like logical reasoning and social skills like cooperation. The character Oscar the Grouch

was designed to help children understand different perspectives and how other people look atdifferent situations in different ways.

Once again, the idea of television educational programming for children in Pakistan was floatedrecently by concerned people with the probability of funding by donors abroad. Pakistan is at the

crossroads in defining a route to increase its literacy rate. Issues such as poverty and non-availability of access to education for nearly six million out of school children is a daunting task

which it will not be able to meet despite the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Statisticstell us that there are more than 40 per cent illiterates in the country which comes to about 80

million people out of a total population of 170 million.

In this area, television can play a vital and crucial role to bring literacy to the pre-school and

primary school population as well as adults. A collaborative effort by a popular children`s puppet

theatre here and the Sesame Street, New York, team is on the cards and recruitment for writers,television producers and directors is already taking place in the main cities of Pakistan. It is an

ambitious seven-year plan and it proposes to bring education within the reach of children who at

present have no access to schooling.

However, according to Sesame Street`s pioneer producer Joan Ganz Cooney, the initial USA

production in 1968, was considered an ambitious social experiment of using public television to

educate pre-schoolers meaningfully on such a large scale. There had to be a kind of marriagebetween educators and the new medium of television. Dr Lesser worked with the producers, in-

house researchers and creative team to consider such questions as
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1. What did young children need to know before they entered school?

2. How much information were they developmentally ready to absorb?3. Above all, how could television best be exploited as a delivery system for this information?

Thus, the model that accrued from a number of brainstorming seminars consisted of

collaboration between educational advisers, researchers and producers. The aim was thatpedagogy had to be both enjoyable and instructive. A curriculum evolved and continues to bring

joyful and meaningful instruction to children. Since its inception, Sesame Street has taught morethan 80 million children and now reaches viewers in 140 countries. It has won more than 100

Emmy awards.

In the case of Pakistan, nonetheless, caution has to be exercised in bringing about educational

change through the medium of television. Since 1947, radio and television has already played a

major role in providing cheap and available entertainment and information to the Pakistani

populace. Nearly half of the 170 million population of Pakistan are children under the age of 16.The education sector is facing a crisis of quality, accessibility and equity. These days more

children are out of school then in school for a formal education.

The recently introduced Early Childhood Education programme is facing the same crisis of

malaise and inefficiency as the rest of the primary and secondary schooling in Pakistan`s public

education sector. At the same time, the knowledge base of the world is increasing at aphenomenal rate with advances in technology. The world is referred to as a global village and the

21st century is experiencing a roller coaster ride towards an ever increasing reliance on

machines.

To make basic reading, mathematics, science, geographical and historical concepts available to

Pakistan`s under-16 population through the medium of radio and television will definitely go a

long way in addressing the problems of illiteracy, education and health. It will also serve to plugthe gap till the country undergoes a long spell of political stability and education becomes

available to all.

However, great care and planning must go into the project at hand taking in view Pakistan`s

cultural and social references. Any education divorced from contextual and every dayexperiences of its people are likely to fail in the long run. Pakistan also has a number of mother

tongues spoken in its four provinces and Urdu is the lingua franca and medium of instruction for

70 per cent of its school population. It would be advisable to make a single programme and thendub it into all the mother tongues spoken as well as English.

The project managers must be cognizant of the fact that literacy is a primary goal and that it will

have multiple tiers in Pakistan`s case. Sesame Street is confined to pre-schoolers aged 2-5.Pakistan will need a more comprehensive coverage to be able to make any impact on a

population that is both illiterate as well as dropouts from school at the primary and secondary

stage of schooling. The Pakistani television audience will comprise of three age groups


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Pre-school, ages 2-5.

Primary school, ages 5-9.

Middle school, ages 10-13.

Accordingly, television programmes could encourage learning in the following parameters. For

pre-school children the focus will be on

1. The alphabet,

2. numbers up to 10,

3. music,

4. social skills,5. hygiene and

6. civic rules for pre-school children.

For the primary age group concepts may focus on

1. Addition and subtraction,2. formation of three letter words,

3. storytelling,

4. everyday living experiences,5. social relations, and

6. discovering role models in their cultural and historical past.

For the middle-school age group, concepts could go on to include

1. Science concepts,2. word building (vocabulary),

3. poetry and prose through dramatic art,4. musicology,5. informative historical narratives and

6. world and Pakistan`s geography.

The creation of puppets for this educational project should have terms of reference in relation to

Pakistan`s rich historical and cultural heritage. The character of Ibn Batuta is suitable for

geographical travels and children can learn basic geographical sights and concepts by his variedtravelling through many countries.

Storytelling in the narrative form has been a cultural and academic pursuit in most parts of the

subcontinent. The producers for the television programming could use animated versions ofAmir Hamza, Talismay Housh Ruba (Umar Aiyar), Qisa Chaar Dervesh (Mulla Nasruddin and

Chacha Chhakan) and Tales of the Arabian Nights (Ali Baba and Forty Thieves). These could

also then be developed into reading programmes for children. Al-Beruni is another character whocould be developed as a puppet for purposes of introducing scientific concepts. The list is endless

for all the facets of basic subjects to be learnt at the middle and secondary school age in a

cultural and environmental setting.


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Making serial programmes for a wider world view can also be made a part of the Pakistan

Educational Television project. A specific serialisation of the inventions that have shaped ourworld could be enjoyed by middle up to high school children. Furthermore, world historical

narrative could be made into a captivating serial for middle and secondary school children. A

look at the prose and poetry of Pakistan developed after 1947 will introduce literary and

linguistic appeal to the younger generation who have lost the art or habit of reading. Dramaticrenderings from literature could be another avenue to be explored for educating the youth and

opening up different viewpoints. Saa`di is called the Shakespeare of Persian literature and

many across the generations have learnt Saa`di`s Gulistan and Bostan for its value in acquiringwisdom, moral guidance and counseling through stories and poems. Our youth would benefit

greatly by a revival of these stories adapted for viewing by children of all ages.

Educational television in Pakistan has not been explored on a large scale due to lack of

equipment and more sophisticated technology. Lack of funding has been another impediment for

such a project. Now that project is being planned here with the approval of the Ministry ofEducation. It must ensure an all encompassing educational programme for not just pre-schoolers

but across the board, subject and topic wise, for all our youth under the age of 25. Learning in anenjoyable way through television will ensure that the growing frustration in society among theyouth is mitigated to a certain extent.

The writer is an educational consultant based in [email protected]

improving literacy

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