Preventing Illiteracy and Promoting Literacy in Germany

Stamping out illiteracy is not a challenge faced by developing countries only. In Germany, the social problem of functional illiteracy has been acknowledged since the end of the 1970s, when the country's first literacy courses were set up. The movement has been through lean times: resources for the promotion of literacy and basic skills education were cut in the 1990s due to an economic downturn. After a period of evolution and development, the Bundesverband Alphabetisierung (Federal Literacy Association) finally came into being in 1997.

The Association is a nationwide, non-governmental and non-profit organization bringing together adult literacy teachers, literacy institutions and other interested parties. In March 2001, the Association had 211 individual members and 54 institutional members.

The main aims of the organization are to promote reading and writing in adult education programmes; to offer support to the people and institutions involved in or interested in getting involved in this work; to lobby on behalf of Germany's illiterate minority; to conduct a public awareness campaign; and to develop new teaching materials and publish specialist literature on the subject of literacy.

The Association has its own advice centre and hotline, known as the ALFA-TELEFON (or ALPHA-Hotline). This service offers free, nationwide help to people with literacy problems. The advice is given anonymously and provides callers with information on learning opportunities in their area. More than 1,000 people dialled the ALPHA-Hotline number in the first three months of 2001.

As well as running training courses for literacy teachers, the Association also publishes reading and writing materials for young people and adult beginners. Much of the literature is written and created by people who are themselves overcoming learning difficulties. The organization also publishes Germany's only specialist magazine on the subject of literacy and basic skills education. The ALFA-FORUM magazine is published three times annually -each copy had a print run of 750 in the year 2000.

Many people find their way to the Association via the Internet. The Bundesverband has had its own homepage since 1999, and the platform provides an easy way to communicate developments and information to all interested parties.

Lobbying for public recognition of the plight of Germany's illiterate minority and for funds to finance the necessary projects is a full-time concern of the Association. In March 2001, the Association received confirmation of conditional financial support from the Federal Ministry for Education, Science and Research. The project is scheduled to begin this year, and is expected to run for between two and three years.

The Association has been working hard to enhance its public profile and few people in Germany can have failed to notice its latest awareness campaign, headed up with the slogan: "Schreib dich nicht ab. Lern Lesen und Schreiben." (Don't write yourself off. Learn to read and write). The message has been spread by way of postcards, billboards, newspaper advertisements and commercials aimed at television and cinema audiences. Designed to encourage participation in a literacy course, the commercials also aim to challenge the prejudices affecting those with learning difficulties. The billboard posters, which also flag up the hotline number, are now visible in employment offices across the country.

To mark International Literacy Day 2000, the Association published a book titled The Cross They Sign is the Cross They Bear. Illiteracy and Promotion of Literacy in Germany. The book made its debut at the First International Learning Fair and Global Dialogue at the EXPO in Hanover, and demand has been growing ever since. Some 5,000 copies have been distributed so far, and target promotions will see the book going to schools and universities, libraries, job centres and other public authorities. The book can be downloaded from the Internet, along with a catalogue of teaching materials and specialist literature currently available on the market, compiled by the Association with the support of the Ministry for Education, Science and Research.

The work of the Association may go unnoticed by many people in Germany, but it is the driving force behind a movement to reach out to social minorities and encourage their full and active participation in everyday life. As a result, its endeavours are a key factor in the realization of national educational goals.

ALFA-TELEFON +49 251 53 33 34