Selection of Effective Adult Literacy
and Numeracy Programmes

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Senegal

Integrated Adult Education Programme (PIEA)

Context

The Senegalese Government formulated in 1993 a literacy policy and action plan proposing to reduce the literacy rate by 5% per year. This huge programme, financed by the government with additional funds from various partners such as the World Bank, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the German Technical Cooperation Agency (GTZ) and other development agencies aimed to abolish the disparities in terms of gender, age, economic and social conditions by improving the educational infrastructure.

The Functional Literacy Programme with Priority to Women, PAPF, a programme financed by the World Bank, was part of the action plan. Its main two components were functional literacy and post-literacy with the following objectives:

1. to make 135 000 people literate, of which 75% were women (aged 15 to 39) of five regions;
2. to develop qualitative approaches that meet the requirements of the beneficiaries;
3. and to reinforce the capacities of ministers to effectively run the sector.

A programme evaluation conducted in 2002 showed a discrepancy between supply and demand. Programme contents did not meet participants’ needs which consequently resulted in a decline of motivation and participation rate. The knowledge achieved could not be transferred into daily life requirements. Follow-up and post-literacy programmes were not provided. The evaluation findings resulted in developing a new approach, the Integrated Adult Education Programme (PIEA).

Programme

The PIEA integrated approach combines two objectives:

1. To strengthen learners’ and facilitators’ capacities and skills in order to alleviate poverty;
2. To develop and improve the curriculum for basic education.

In order to achieve these objectives the programme targets basically women in high poverty areas, empowering them by reinforcing their technical skills. Sustainable knowledge is supported by providing competent human resources and educational infrastructure to ensure the development of life skills competences and a continuing and lifelong learning process. Professionally equipped community resource centres and appropriate educational materials in local languages linked to the authentic situations create a literate environment to raise awareness and advocate the successful programme implementation. The literacy programmes ensures at the same time the implementation of technical competences linked to income generating activities and the follow-up of effective reinvestment of techniques learned in authentic situations.

PIEA was set in place by combining the two main objectives, providing an initial and a post-literacy phase. In order to implement the programme various strategies were used:

1. the reinforcement of management capacities of beneficiaries;
2. the creation of a literate environment (community resource centres, local newspapers, etc.);
3. the connection of organisational, associative and financial parts of the programme.

The initial part of the programme was the competency based approach in income generating activities. In order to achieve this, tasks were concretely assigned in the areas of management, creation of literate environment and networking. The curriculum was developed based on participants’ defined needs and their prior learning experiences. Study units were built grouping common capacities and competences in all subject areas.

The programme was piloted between 2000 and 2004 and the approach was modified according to the findings of the action research taken, which allowed the programme to be extended. Concrete results achieved are the following:

• 85% women participated;
• Functional reading and writing competences were achieved among 75% of the participants;
• Management and business competences of 65% to 80% of the participants were improved;
• 80% of the beneficiary organisations were connected on management and financial levels;
• 185 facilitators could be employed and financed;
• One PIEA teachers’ guide, one methodological guide and new evaluation tools were developed;
• Almost all community resource centres have libraries at their disposal, the production of written materials, such as local newspapers, could be increased.

Despite the positive results 25% to 30% of the participants still have reading and writing difficulties. This is due to the fact that some of the facilitators still use the classical literacy methods not involving participants and not respecting adults’ psychology. Training of literacy workers is not sufficient and inadequate. Deficits are noted with respect to support. Follow-up and post-literacy programme facilities provision is irregular and not efficient due to the lack of supervisors’ qualifications. Means of transport in rural areas are not reliable.

Conclusion:

PIEA has to follow certain principles:

• It has to be embedded in local community development plans;
• Objectives of the programme should correspond with community requirements and needs;
• Tasks of the different actors need to be coordinated;
• Literacy personnel and policy makers need to be trained in order to advocate;
• In order to ensure the successful implementation of the programme a profound survey has to be conducted to determine the needs, to formulate and integrate these in the curriculum and the respective learning materials and to link them with the functional concrete beneficiary activities;
• Resource persons need to be involved in the whole process and be constantly trained;
• Target groups need to be motivated;
• Communities and organisations involved should be dynamic in order to mobilize for and ensure the provision of optimal conditions for lifelong learning and empowerment of beneficiaries and their organisations.

Lessons learned

In order to be successful, the Integrated Adult Education Programme (PIEA) needs to follow certain principles, such as the integration into the local community development programme, the correspondence with community needs, the task coordination of the different actors and continuing training of literacy workers. Its successful implementation requires a profound local study to determine the needs assessment, both of learners as well as of communities. Formulation, integration and linkage of the different learning contents to the functional concrete activities of beneficiaries are essential.

The programme has to be participatory and learner oriented aiming at the empowerment of all actors. Success depends on the quality of teachers and supervisors, their continuing training and motivation. The synergy of actions of all partners involved in local community development is indispensable.
Successful literacy programmes are preconditioning basic development programmes in their fight against poverty. Creating additional educational needs they encourage stakeholders and policy makers to take these issues into consideration.

Concluding one could say that a successful integrated literacy programme aiming at sustainable empowerment of its actors should be a lifelong learning one.

Contact:

Programme Intégré d’Education des Adultes (PIEA)
Madame Binta Rassouloula Sall
Cellule de Coordination et de Suivi du Programme Education de Qualité Pour Tous volet Education Non Formelle (CCS/EQPT/ENF)
Villa 1271 Sicap Liberté I Dakar
Cabinet du Ministre Délégué Chargé de l’Alphabétisation et de la Francophonie

Tel.: (221) 510 77 20 or (221) 855 75 70 (domicile)
ndisall@yahoo.fr