Adult literacy drives were undertaken by many developing countries between and 1 Abadzi, H. The drive for further promotion, the strengthening of individual countries, and international efforts came later, as a result of the Education for All EFA conference held in Jomtien, Thailand, in The Jomtien Declaration aimed at meeting the basic learning needs of children, youths, and adults.
Literacy varies in definition and distribution across cultures and historical periods with differing demands on differing socio-economic and cultural environments 2 Levine, R. Oxford: Oxford University Press. That is to say, what counts as being literate differs from one social context to another. However, one constant across contexts is that literacy skills are associated with a range of valuable and desirable outcomes.
Hamburg, UIL. Furthermore, literacy enables individuals to achieve his or her goals, develop his or her knowledge and potential, and participate fully in his or her community and wider society 5 UNESCO The connection between literacy and development is illustrated by the fact that the least developed countries have the highest illiteracy rates, meaning that literacy liberates untapped human potential and leads to increased productivity and better living conditions 6 Bamgbose, A. Edinburgh University Press.
Almost two-thirds of illiterate adults are women, a figure that has remained almost static since ; at this rate, the poorest young women in developing countries are not expected to achieve universal literacy until 7 UNESCO Children and adults learn in fundamentally different ways. Adult training methodology and techniques. Adults use literacy for many purposes and acquire literacy in many ways.
Usually, they recognise a need to improve their literacy skills to meet the challenges of the following situations: when they start a new job, when their children start school and want help with homework, when they lose their usual form s of employment, and during societal changes that include economic development, industrialisation, and the deepening of democracy 10 McCaffery, J.
