Development as a growth process is what every person, nation and state seeks from day to day. The issues of development and better welfare are generally important to the average man and woman, especially in developing countries like Nigeria. Nigeria and other African countries need to instigate the principles and strategies that will bring about…

In anticipation of CONFINTEA VI, this article critically reflects on the last decade of English adult education policy. The United Kingdom played an important role in 1997's Hamburg conference by putting forward International Adult Learners' Week, and inspiring delegates by its enthusiasm for adult education. However the trajectory of the past ten…

This paper deals with specific characteristics of elders,1 bearing in mind both their cognitive and their non-cognitive aspects. Regarding their way of learning, the paper refers to basic principles for this group of people: active learning, situational analysis, their experience, awareness that they have--and need--specific time and rhythm for…

In March 2006, Premier Wen Jiabao acknowledged that the situation in the Chinese countryside is desperate and claimed new resources would be devoted to healthcare and education. This announcement should have pleased architects of the Chinese "learning initiative" who are building learning cities and villages. The authors describe why…

Representatives from around the world met in Persepolis, 1975, at the invitation of the Iranian government for a symposium on literacy. A variety of topics were discussed, and a Declaration regarding fundamental matters affecting adult education was unanimously adopted. (LH)

A survey of British Columbia correctional personnel (69% response) and interviews with 22 participants and 56 nonparticipants in prison education programs found support for the value of literacy education and for incentives for attendance, as well as a need for standards and policy on every inmate's right to learn. (SK)

Reflects on transnationalism, UNESCO's role, and the new realities of South Africa. Suggests the need for critical awareness of Western domination, understanding of adult education as culture and sector, the importance of rejuvenating civil society, and design of curricula from life as it is lived. (SK)

The basic trouble in Jamaica is that the schools do not yet succeed in cutting off the problem of adult illiteracy at the root. (Author/AG)

Functional literacy has been emphasized over traditional literacy in recent decades. Although functional literacy is desirable if it is organized with success and effectiveness, it rarely is implemented this way. More attention to traditional literacy is thus warranted. (SK)

It has long been orthodoxy among adult educators that those who teach adults need to take into account the existing knowledge, practices, perceptions and expectations of the learners. This is true at both central level where curricula and teaching-learning materials are developed and at local level where adult teacher/facilitator meets adult…

The full text of the Declaration of Persepolis, adopted by the International Symposium for Literacy, is presented. The Symposium considers literacy to be not only the process of attaining reading, writing, and arithmetic skills, but also a contribution to the liberation and development of the human race. (LH)

The conference report briefly discusses: methodology used to explore how educators can foster attitude and behavior change in under-educated people to facilitate national development; international programs; six areas of concern; and participants. The 14 case studies presented at the conference are summarized. (LH)

Slow growth of female literacy in Pakistan can be attributed to negative attitudes toward the status of women; religious, social, and political factors; and poverty, among others. Males receive more education than females, especially in rural areas. (SK)

Written in Spanish, the article explains that expanding an adult basic education program, the Brazilian Literacy Movement (MOBRAL), necessitates considering the social orientation of MOBRAL in the context of Brazil and of Latin America as a whole. (AG)

Interviews with five Mayans in Guatemalan villages identified deterrents to participation in literacy programs at four levels: (1) individual (personal history, self-perception); (2) family (values, machismo); (3) community (ethnic identity, economic system); and (4) national (funding, policies, culturally inappropriate formats). (SK)