Points out that literacy is often a volatile issue in developing countries, where it is often seen as a key to liberation. Introduces a model for identifying and categorizing the goals and philosophies of literacy projects, programs, and campaigns of the world. (ARH)

Strategies (chiefly compulsory schooling and literacy campaigns) for combatting illiteracy are compared, and differences between functional and traditional literacy are discussed. (LY)

Explores purposes of literacy education, ranging from the political imperatives of governments to the goals of literacy campaigns to the reasons why people want to be literate. (SK)

This article discusses a pilot program in functional literacy undertaken by Danish and Norwegian students. The students raised 100,000 dollars which will send 250 instructors to Zambia to teach basic learning skills, agricultural techniques, nutrition, child care and hygiene. (RR)

Purpose: There is limited amount of research that constitutes non-traditional curricula implemented within an institutionalized context of developing countries. An attempt is made in this project to gain a clearer understanding of a non-traditional early learning program within an orphanage campus setting of Ladyville, Belize, Central America.…

As a result of a pilot project (in Rio de Janeiro) of functional literacy for adolescents and adults by television, 90 percent of the students in experimental tele-classes" became literate with 36 broadcasts of 20 minutes each, distributed over three months three times each week, supported by 50 minutes of discussion and other activities…

One reason for the failure of UNESCO's literacy campaign in Third World Countries has been lack of commitment by many countries. Tanzania's successful literacy program is attributed to the utilization of all educated persons as teachers. UNESCO is intensifying its efforts to persuade governments toward commitment and action to eradicate…

There is a marked shift of emphasis from the traditional 3-R's concept of literacy to the new 3-F's Program of functional literacy, food production, and family planning. These experiences evidently establish that "built-in" motivation (economic, social, cultural, or religious) is perhaps the only answer to any literacy training program.…

The purposes of the present study are: (1) to examine the nature of the modernization process among peasants in one less developed country, Colombia, and (2) to determine the cross-cultural validity of these findings in other of the less developed nations. Peasants are important subjects of study by social scientists because they constitute a…

Summarizes the findings of Book Flood studies in Niue, Fiji, Singapore, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Solomon Islands, and several other developing countries. It is possible to double the rate of reading acquisition of Third World primary school pupils with a Book Flood of about 100 high-interest books per class and short teacher training sessions.…

The interim report outlines the evaluation of the program, defines functional literacy, and discusses the effectiveness of functional literacy work, costs, and conclusions. The most successful results were from programs that promoted effective literacy, introduced vocational and job skill training, encouraged logical thinking, and utilized…

The current status of world literacy can be revealed through recent UNESCO data: (1) the nations of the world spend an average of $7800 annually to train and equip one soldier, while spending only an average of $100 annually to educate one child; (2) a quarter of the world's population will not attend any school in this century; (3) more than 40…

Specific suggestions on improving adult literacy programs, based on the author's observations in India. (SP)

Contends most people in Third World need functional and development-oriented literacy (FDL) if they are to contribute meaningfully to illiteracy eradication and attainment of sustainable national development in respective countries. Arguing current literacy instruction approaches in most Third World countries can't sustain FDL, suggests adoption…