Linking Literacy and Numeracy Programmes in Developing Countries and the UK

Published by the National Research and Development Centre (NRDC) for Adult Literacy and Numeracy, this report draws on experiences of adult literacy and numeracy work in developing countries, bringing together projects from different parts of the world to see what links can be made with literacy work in the UK. The purpose of the report is to present and discuss these experiences and to examine their relevance for policy and practice in adult
basic skills in the UK. The broader aim is to promote international exchange in the field of adult literacy and to contribute to the development of practice in Britain. This report was developed from papers presented at the NRDC symposium held in December 2003. The symposium brought together researchers, practitioners and development professionals from across the world.

Four key themes emerged from the symposium:



Theme 1: Research can inform policy and practice in adult literacy. More particularly, this theme is concerned with how theoretical understandings of literacy, notably the social practices view of literacy can inform the design of programmes and materials.

Theme 2: The second theme develops from the first. It deals with new approaches to the delivery of literacy and numeracy programmes that integrate the teaching of skills with the social, political and economic concerns of communities.

Theme 3: The third theme covers the role of different languages in adult literacy programmes. This is a common concern in many developing societies, the majority of which are multilingual. The main question is what language(s) or dialect(s) to choose for adult literacy, and how the choice of language relates to issues of power and status and to the significance of local knowledge and experience for the curriculum.

Theme 4: the fourth and final theme is about the possible transfer of policies, approaches and tools between contexts, including movements from North to South, South to North, and between countries of the South and those of the North.

Recommendations based on the experience of developing countries:

• It is important to keep open debates about the goals and purpose of adult language, literacy and numeracy work
• It is important to broaden the concepts of literacy and numeracy which underlie current policies
• Family and community-based and integrated programmes often work better and are more sustainable than isolated programmes
• Literacy and numeracy can be critical ingredients of learning between individual adults, families and communities in situations of conflict or post-conflict.
• Longer programmes have more long-term effects
• Authentic materials work best
• Practitioner networks are an essential part of training and professional development.
• Assessment of learners and programmes needs to be broad, linking literacy, gender and empowerment

The report concludes that many of the recommendations apply to current issues of policy and practice in England and the rest of the UK. Often they give support to specific directions which policy is going, for example in the greater emphasis on embedded provision; or they emphasise particular aspects, such as family and community based literacy and numeracy provision. The techniques used in several countries, linking literacy and numeracy to conflict-resolution and related reconciliation initiatives could be explored in the UK to look at the possibility of working in this, or appropriately tailored ways, with some groups of learners, including
socially excluded and disaffected groups, offenders and people with behavioural difficulties or mental health issues. Learning literacy and numeracy in meaningful contexts can also foster, in the UK, as in developing countries, a sense of social and community belonging, and support people in developing their local economies. Futhermore, practitioners and policy-makers in the UK can benefit from knowing more about practices in developing countries.