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Presentation Literacy Day 2002

Hans d’OrvilleDirector, Bureau of Strategic Planning

10 September 2002

Illiteracy : a Female Phenomena ?Illiteracy : a Female Phenomena ?

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Female illiteracy – a wake-up call

FACTSFACTS Two-thirds of the world’s 876 million illiterates are women

70 % of the poor in the world are women

113 million primary school children are being denied their right to education. Almost two-thirds of them are female

Fewer girls than boys finish primary school. By the time they reach 18, girls have an overage of 4,4 years less education than boys

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Is ILLITERACY thenIs ILLITERACY then

a FEMALE PHENOMENON?a FEMALE PHENOMENON?

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Does illiteracy have – as has Does illiteracy have – as has poverty – above allpoverty – above all

a FEMALE FACE? a FEMALE FACE?

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Illiteracy : a female phenomena ?

Girls in many countries are expected to begin helping out at an early age with household responsibilities which prevents them from attending formal schooling

Investing in girls and women education is not considered profitable by many poor communities

In many patriarchal societies women and girls are denied their fundamental human rights, among them, the right to education

In some countries, empowering women through education is not considered essential and sometimes contrary to the role that they are expected to perform

Women’s illiteracy is due to Women’s illiteracy is due to many related factorsmany related factors

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Cultural and socialCultural and social factors have factors have a major impact on female access a major impact on female access

to schooling,to schooling,

Compounded by: Compounded by: povertypoverty – in – in itself a denial of human rights. It itself a denial of human rights. It

is THE critical barrier to is THE critical barrier to education, in particular for girlseducation, in particular for girls

Illiteracy : a female phenomena ?

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“We must do more and better.”

“How can poverty be eradicated when the roots of ignorance are left undisturbed?”

Koïchiro Matsuura

WHY and HOW?

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Illiteracy : a female phenomena ?

Literacy, particularly the literacy of women, is the most

important factor for sustainable and equitable development

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The female “literacy chain”:

• Beijing Plan of Action – 1995• Dakar Plan of Action - 2000• Millennium Development Goals - 2001• UNESCO’s Medium-Term Strategy 2002-2007• Johannesburg Plan of Action - 2002

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The overall framework: Beijing Platform of Action

Strategic objectives in education:Strategic objectives in education:

Ensure equal access to education

Eradicate illiteracy among women

Develop non-discriminatory education and training

Promote lifelong education and training for girls and women

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World Education Forum, Dakar 2000

Ensuring that by 2015 all children, particularly girls, children in difficult circumstances and those belonging to ethnic minorities, have access to and complete, free and compulsory primary education of good quality

Ensuring that the learning needs of all young people and adults are met through equitable access to appropriate learning and life-skills programmes

Achieving a 50 per cent improvement in levels of adult literacy by 2015, especially for women, and equitable access to basic and continuing education for all adults

Eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 2005, and achieving gender equality in education by 2015, with a focus on ensuring girls' full and equal access to and achievement in basic education of good quality

TheThe Dakar Framework for Action:Dakar Framework for Action:

4 of 6 commitments address 4 of 6 commitments address women’s literacy needswomen’s literacy needs

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Millennium Development Goals

Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose income is less than $1 a day

Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and to all levels of education no later than 2015

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World Summit onSustainable Development

Plan of Implementation

99. Education is critical for promoting sustainable development.

99. (a) Meet the development goal in the Millennium Declaration of achieving universal primary education, ensuring that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling;

99. (b) Provide all children, particularly those living in rural areas and those living in poverty, especially girls, with the access and opportunity to complete a full course of primary education

103. Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education as provided in the Dakar Framework for Action on Education for All, and at all levels of education no later than 2015 to meet the development goals contained in the Millennium Declaration, with action to ensure, inter alia, equal access to all levels and forms of education, training and capacity-building be gender mainstreaming, and by creating a gender-sensitive educational system.

Johannesburg, South Africa, September 2002

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UNESCO’S Medium-Term Strategy for 2002-2007 (31 C/4 Approved)

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Gender mainstreaming is the process of assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action including legislation, policies, and programmes, in any area and at all levels.

Gender Mainstreaming

ECOSOC Agreed conclusions 1997/2

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UNESCO’s responses to the needs of women

Promote and facilitate the integration of a gender perspective in policy planning, programming, implementation and evaluation activities

Address and promote women’s priorities and vision of development goals and approaches through greater participation of women at all levels and in all areas of UNESCO’s action;

Establish region-specific programmes and activities that benefit girls and women of various ages

Set up capacity-building in Member States

Increase the awareness of and respect for women's human rights as explained in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)

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Illiteracy : a female phenomena ?

•Literacy is the first step in education – the chance for women to develop their own potential

•Women are often made to believe they are second-class citizens

Building self-confidence and initiativethrough education

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Illiteracy : a female phenomena ?

• Literate mothers are likely to send their girls to school

• Literate female relatives set role models for young girls in the family

• Educated women take part more confidently, actively and effectively in family and community decision-making

Women’s literacy: positive impact forsuccessive generations

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Illiteracy : a female phenomena ?

Women’s literacy fostershealthier families

• Literate women have smaller families and space better their children

• Literate women tend to have healthier children

• Literate women earn and save more• Literate women have a better capacity

to learn how to care for and support their families

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Illiteracy : a female phenomena ?

Beyond mere literacy:promoting gender-sensitive literacy

• Balanced gender roles in textbooks• Female role models in all learning

materials• Literacy learning at suitable times and in

suitable places• Women as facilitators and animators• Planning literacy learning in line with

how women want to use literacy

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Illiteracy : a female phenomena ?

Adapting to social, cultural and religious contexts

Connecting literacy with practical purposes and uses

Linking literacy with sustainable local development

Teaching literacy in local languages

Moving from “literacy”to“literacies”

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Illiteracy : a female phenomena ?

Increase the awareness of and respect for women's human rights (inter alia, through world-wide dissemination of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW))

Promote gender equality in education through, notably, the United Nations Initiative for Girls (UNGEI)

Help to eradicate poverty, in particular extreme poverty, through one of its two cross-cutting themes in the Medium-Term Strategy (2002-2007), which focuses especially on women

In organisational terms, this is being done by each Programme Sector and coordinated by the Women and Gender Equality Section located in the Bureau of Strategic Planning (BSP)

UNESCO seeks to

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Moving forward:

It offers an opportunity for embracing and implementing

a renewed vision of literacy which will foster cultural identity, democratic

participation and citizenship, tolerance and respect for others, social

development, peace and progress

United Nations Literacy Decade to begin in 2003

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Roosevelt’s EssentialHuman Freedoms

Freedom of speech and expression. Freedom of every person to worship God in his

own way.

Freedom from want.

Freedom from fear.

Franklin D. RooseveltAnnual Message to the Congress

of the United States of America6th January 1941

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A Fifth Essential Human Freedom?

The Freedom from illiteracy.