In the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) (Appendix A), a remote region in the south-eastern corner of Bangladesh, children from indigenous mountain tribes are among the country's most illiterate and at the highest risk of dropping out of school (UNDP, 2009). Their school achievement and completion rate fall disastrously short when compared to the…

Development of a society means the accumulation of improvement of all units of the society whatever it is small or large and important or less important. Needless to say that education goes identical with development. We have a large number of marginal people in different sector and region. Tea garden workers are one of them who are working…

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5, "achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls", emphasises the need for "providing women and girls with equal access to education, health care, decent work, and representation in political and economic decision-making processes [which] will fuel sustainable economies and benefit…

The social purposes of education are long term and oriented towards the construction and maintenance of a sustainable future. This article focuses on developing-country contexts with relatively low formal school enrolment rates, where dropout and failure rates are alarming, and where many children leave school semi-literate, soon to relapse into…

In outlining the framework offered at the UNESCO Regional Conference in support of Global Literacy (New Delhi, November 2007), it was pointed out that concepts of poverty, sustainable development and particularly of literacy and innovation have themselves been in continuous re-construction. An analysis of the context and condition for literacy…

This paper explores the distinction between "secular" and "Koranic" schooling and literacy in South Asia. It begins by tracing an archaeology of the distinction between secular "literacy" and religious "illiteracy". It locates the emergence of the distinction in the colonial census of the 19th century, in…

Although efforts to combat illiteracy in the Arab world began several decades ago, the illiteracy rate in Arab countries is one of the highest in the world, as there are more than 70 million illiterate people in Arab countries. By contrast, many countries in the world have succeeded in eradicating adult illiteracy within a few decades. The study…

The author describes his lifelong involvement in education, particularly in Bangladesh, including pilot projects for rural development, literacy, education of women and girls, health and family planning, village cooperatives, and a feeder school program. (SK)

Female illiteracy and the overall educational status of women in Islamic societies are the two main themes of this collection of conference papers. The papers include: THe Eradication of Female Illiteracy in Kirghizia: the Historical Situation (1920-1930) (I. S. Boldzhurova); Women's Education in Kirghiszstan (R. Achylova); Literacy and Education…

This final report is a summary of a conference designed to show the importance of adult education for the next century, encourage worldwide commitment to the right of adults to education, and strengthen and expand international cooperation. Part I consists of the summary of the plenary discussions: introduction, speakers and opening speeches, and…

This report on the International Seminar on Campaigning for Literacy at Udaipur, India is divided into three main parts. Part 1 describes the context and background of the seminar, its specific objectives, and the organization and procedures of the seminar. Part 2 provides an overview of the seminar proceedings. The inaugural statements are…

The articles in this issue are mainly concerned with how to reach the poorest and most disadvantaged sections of the population and how best to help once contact has been made. "Nijera Kori in Retrospect: In Search of an Organization of the Rural Poor" (Mohiuddin Ahmad) provides extracts from an evaluation of this grassroots,…

This paper examines whether an illiterate worker's earnings are affected by the literacy of other members of the household. Theory suggests that a member of a collective-action household may or may not share knowledge with others in the household. Shared income gains from shared knowledge may well be offset by a shift in the balance of power…

Today more children and their parents in developing countries are without any educational opportunities because of the expense and elitist character of traditional education programs. Examples from Bangladesh show how educational opportunities can be broadened by using facilities more intensively and in innovative ways. (Author/IS)

Nearly 360 million women who live in the countries of Asia and the Pacific are illiterate. In this region, and in much of the world, women have restricted access to education, and are the victims of economic, social, and political marginalization. In recent years, governments have become increasingly aware that the inferior position assigned to…