September General Meeting
January 2003 is the official beginning of the UN Decade for Literacy, whose major objective is to halve illiteracy by 2015.
As Mr. Vollman admits, this is a very challenging endeavor. In Europe, most countries needed more than a century to completely eliminate illiteracy, starting from initial efforts in late 18th century. In Japan, it took 50 years during the Meiji Restoration. Currently, we are asking developing countries to do the same thing, but in ten to fifteen years. This is certainly not an easy task, and Mr. Vollman provided some insights into the various issues related to literacy and literacy programmes.
In many instances, coming up with a realistic plan can be difficult, since to do so, one must have a clear understanding of the magnitude as well as the issues related to the problem. This is not always possible. For example, statistics for illiteracy in Bangladesh ranges from 39 percent to 67 percent. This may be due to an unreliable data collection capacity, politics or simply a weak definition of literacy/illiteracy. According to the UN definition, literacy means more than the ability to write one’s name. The individual should be able to read the headlines of newspapers, understand simple signs and instructions so that they can have a certain amount of autonomy in daily life.
Moreover, a literacy programme cannot consist only of a series of literacy classes, which teach people how to read and write. UNESCO has already noted that in many rural areas in Bangladesh and Pakistan, there is a total absence of the written word, even on recycled paper bags. There is not much motivation to learn, and even when the skill is acquired, no way in which to practice and maintain it. An environment that is conducive to literacy must be built up at the same time classes are planned and carried out.
Under some circumstances, programmes for women’s literacy are effective only if they are carried out in conjunction with similar initiatives for men. UNESCO’s experience in Punjab, Pakistan, has been that men felt threatened by women’s literacy classes, as they were perceived to upset the traditional power structure in the household and in the village.
Of the approximately 860 million illiterate adults in the world today, about 600 million live in the so-called "E-9" countries, which have large populations and significant numbers of illiterate adults. They are Egypt, Nigeria, Brazil, Mexico, China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Bangladesh. UNESCO has been involved in a project involving the E-9, promoting a dialogue between the countries to exchange experiences on how to tackle illiteracy.
Mr. Vollman reiterated that the goal to halve the illiteracy rate by 2015 is ambitious, perhaps not possible to achieve, but a worthwhile objective to strive for. Although he did not elaborate as to his own experiences being involved in this endeavor, it is hinted in a Bengali saying he quoted, "Knowledge is a very special commodity. The more one gives away, the more one has left."
In the latter half of the meeting Anowara presented a progress report on the activities of the Welfare Committee, and we spent some minutes in discussing the UN Ball. Many thanks to Mr. Vollman, Anowara, those who attended and volunteered for various UN Ball preparations.
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