Promoting human development
through support to literacy
- Contribution through Japan’s ODA -
©JICA
Japan’s commitment to promoting Literacy for All
Importance of literacy for individual and societal and essential means to improve literacy and to ensure
development effective and flexible opportunities to education for all,
Literacy is crucial for acquiring a range of learning skills particularly those having difficulties in accessing and
and serves as a stimulus for further learning. completing the formal education system.
Literacy is also a foundation for individual and societal Accordingly, Japan has been striving to increase and
development and plays an important role in poverty strengthen assistance in the field of literacy promotion
reduction. In this regard, literacy promotion is not only at through NFE in addition to support to formal education, in
the heart of Education for All movement (EFA) and United close collaboration with local communities, NGOs, partner
Nations Literacy Decade(UNLD), but also supports the governments, other bilateral donors and international
achievement of other related international initiatives organizations.
including United Nations Education for Sustainable Illiteracy rates are usually high among the most vulnerable
Development (UNESD) and Millenium Development Goals people in society, including women, ethnic and linguistic
(MDGs). minorities and people living in remote areas. In order to
In the present world, however, there are still more than address such disparities, Japan attaches importance to the
860 million illiterate adults, 64 % of whom are women. perspective of “human security” that focuses on protection
Some 104 million children are still deprived of their right to and empowerment of individuals and communities that are
receive education. Many children drop out of schools or do exposed to actual or potential threats to their well-being.
not receive adequate education, thus remain illiterate. Japan has also been supporting a number of literacy
Illiteracy is a serious obstacle for the well-being of initiatives of developing countries through multi-lateral
individuals as well as for development. channels, particularly through the trust-funds it provides for
UNESCO. Furthermore, the Asia/Pacific Cultural Centre for
Japan’s commitment to Literacy for All UNESCO (ACCU), established through joint efforts of the
Education has long been regarded in Japan as laying the Government of Japan and the private sector, has been
foundation of its development. For this reason, Japan has carrying out a number of joint programs on literacy promotion
been supporting and promoting the development of with the UNESCO member states in Asia and the Pacific for
education in developing countries as an essential component more than two decades. ACCU has promoted such activities
of their development efforts. as NFE materials development, literacy data base
In 2002, Government of Japan has announced its new development, and support to literacy resource centers for
program titled “Basic Education for Growth Initiative girls and women. These activities have been conducted in
(BEGIN)”. Under BEGIN, Japan has been actively supporting partnership with UNESCO APPEAL (Asia-Pacific Programme
developing countries’ efforts in achieving EFA based on strong of Education For All).
ownership. While Japan, like many other donors, focused on
assistance to formal education, BEGIN also identifies
non-formal education (NFE) as an effective
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Some examples of Japan’s assistance in the area of literacy
promotion through non-formal education
1. Bilateral assistance
to address
Institutionalizing non-formal education
weaknesses in
through development of a comprehensive
planning,
strategy and increased coordination
monitoring and
among various stakeholders
documentation at
the local level, by
Project on “Community-based NFE for Children in
establishing the
Nepal” (2004-2008) Literacy
Management
Information
System (LitMIS)
and strengthening
the capacity of the provincial and ©JICA
district literacy administration in
planning based on the LitMIS. The impacts of the Project
activities on the district administration have already been
observed in terms of strengthened information sharing
and coordination between the departments concerned, and
effective implementation of the national literacy program
under the decentralization process.
©JICA Providing access to basic education for
out-of-school children in rural areas through
The situation of out-of-school children in Nepal suggests support to local administration and community
that non-formal education (NFE) can be an effective
means to enable them to have an access to education.
Based on this recognition, a number of agencies and Basic Education through Community Participation
institutions have been implementing NFE activities in in Ethiopia (2003-2007)
Nepal. However, poor coordination among these agencies Of the 64 million people of Ethiopia, 1/3 lives in Oromia
as well as lack of clear guidelines on NFE has been a Province. The Province has been experiencing drought,
challenge in delivering quality NFE education for children. food shortage and poverty, etc. Expansion of basic
Against this background, the NFE center in Nepal and education is a priority for the Province. This project aims
Japan (JICA: Japan International Cooperation Agency) at both quantitative and qualitative improvements in the
have jointly launched a pilot project to improve the provision of basic education for rural children in Oromia
effectiveness of the government’s NFE program in Province through expansion and consolidation of
cooperation with local NGOs and the communities. community-initiated education. The main activities consist
Activities include: 1. strengthening the capacity of of training for policy-makers and teachers, research
institutions and organizations to operate the government’s studies, class construction and development of guidelines,
NFE program; 2. development of a network among the NFE etc. A baseline survey was conducted in the project sites,
providers through the exchange of information and and on the basis of which a construction guideline of
experiences about past activities; and 3. promotion of classrooms was prepared introducing the methodology for
community-based management of NFE classes. The community-based construction management.
outcomes of these activities will be utilized as the basis
for developing a model for the government’s NFE program
for out-of-school children.
Establishing sound data system on literacy
and decentralized quality monitoring system
in support of sustainable literacy program
Punjab Literacy Promotion Project (PLPP) in
Pakistan (2004-2007)
This is a joint project conducted by the provincial ©JICA
Government of the Punjab and Japan (JICA) which intends
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Multi-sectoral approach combining Partnering with communities and NGOs (2):
literacy and other activities to maximize Utilizing Japan’s own experience
and sustain impact effectively
Empowerment of Women in Marginalized Urban Adult literacy project in Vietnam's north
Communities of Chiapas, Mexico (2005-2008) mountainous districts (2000-2005)
The strength and advantage of NFE lie in its ability to Though 90% of adults are literate in Vietnam, the
directly target and work at the grassroots level. For this mountain tribes in the country's north have high illiteracy
reason, profound understanding of the needs and rate in Vietnamese. This joint project between JICA and
characteristics of the target group is essential in the National Federation of UNESCO Association of Japan
developing a successful cooperation program. This is a (NFUAJ), aimed
joint project between Japan (JICA) and the Chiapas State at building a
Government which targeted specifically the disadvantaged "Community
women in the urban communities of Chiapas, one of the Learning
poorest areas of Mexico. A careful survey was conducted Center" (CLC) in
to identify the needs of the target group for improving each of the 40
their living standard. As a result, a multi-sectoral villages in the
approach combining literacy, basic life skills, vocational districts;
activities, and early childhood care and education was organizing CLC
adopted. The project activities include: leadership management
training; literacy classes; construction of Community committees;
©JICA
Learning Centers; vocational training activities such as training
sewing and computer skills; services of early childhood teachers; and running literacy and other adult education
care and education for the children of the target group. classes. Recognizing this effort, the government of
Vietmam authorized the CLC as the official continuing
Partnering with communities and NGOs (1): education unit.
Complementing each other’s efforts for a This experience enabled NFUAJ to expand the reach of
greater impact their “World Terakoya Movement” that they have been
promoting in more than 43 countries and 1 region in the
Reading Promotion Project in Laos (2002-2005) world. “Terakoya” were voluntarily operated educational
The Action with Lao Children (ALC), a Japanese NGO, has institutions by local communities that existed in the 14th
been supporting the promotion of reading among children to 19th centuries in Japan, providing literacy and basic
in Laos for more than 10 years through the introduction of education to the children of common people. It is said
books in public education system. Their activities include that the wide spread of Terakoya laid the ground for the
publishing of children books; distributing book bags and rapid development and expansion of modern education
book cases, and conducting reading promotion seminars. system in Japan.
NGOs are often in a better position to provide such
services given their active grass-roots involvement and
Partnering with communities and NGOs (3):
well-developed know-how in community-based activities.
Promoting mother tongue/bilingual literacy
Japan (JICA) under the JICA Partnership Program with
NGOs, has been cooperating with ALC since 2002 in
conducting the Reading Promotion Project in Laos. The Mother tongue/bilingual literacy programs for ethnic
implementation of activities is led by ALC by taking minorities (Cambodia, South Africa, Brazil)
advantage of their experience, while JICA has been Ethnic and linguistic minority people often face a serious
supporting the monitoring of the project through challenge in accessing quality basic education which results
conducting joint evaluation studies. A good collaboration in high illiteracy rates and a poor quality of life. Mother
was also established between ALC and a JICA education tongue instruction and bilingual/multilingual education is
advisor dispatched to the Ministry of Education of Laos. important to improve the educational quality, especially
This partnership lend to reflecting the experience gained for the disadvantaged groups, and to promote cultural and
from grassroots linguistic diversity in all societies. Japan has been
activities at the supporting bilingual non-formal education through
policy level, in provision of its grassroots and human security grant to the
order to ensure local NGOs that are active in this field. Such support
expansion and includes the printing of bilingual NFE materials for ethnic
sustainability of minority people in Ratanakiri province in Cambodia,
the project provision of training facilities and equipment for
results. indigenous teachers in Brazil, and development of learning
materials for adult basic education and training in isiZulu
and Sepedi in South Africa.
©JICA
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2. Japan’s Partnership with UNESCO（contribution through Funds-in-Trust for UNESCO）
A number of literacy initiatives in developing
countries, particularly in Asia and the Pacific region that is
home to 71 per cent of the world’s illiterate population, Facilitating South-South cooperation in
have been supported by the Funds-in-Trust that Japan sharing of knowledge and experiences on
provides for UNESCO. literacy and life skills promotion
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (MOFA)
supports literacy projects in developing countries through
International Workshop on Life Skills Learning
the Japan Funds-in Trust of capacity building for human
funded by Japan Trust Fund for UNESCO (China,
resources. In addition to supporting individual projects,
13-18 June 2005)
the fund has played an important role in facilitating
UIE (UNESCO Institute of Education) has been
South-South cooperation for literacy promotion.
implementing an inter-regional project on “Capacity
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and
building of Literacy and Life Skills Education for
Technology (MEXT) provides UNESCO with the Japanese
Disadvantaged Young Adults” in three countries in Africa
Funds-in-Trust for Promotion of Literacy in Asia and the
and another three countries in Asia, with the fund from
Pacific since the International Literacy Year in 1990,
Japan Funds-in-Trust of capacity building for human
particularly for the activities within the framework of
resources. The key objectives of the project are to
UNESCO APPEAL (Asia-Pacific Programme of Education
share the experiences of Asian and African participating
for All). In 1996, MEXT has started contribution to
countries in life skills learning, identify key issues
another funds-in-trust, "the Japanese Trust Fund for the
concerning life skills learning and application in literacy
Community Learning Centres in Asia and the Pacific
and NFE programs, and to explore effective approaches
Region", to promote literacy for the hard-to-reach
for further cooperation. The workshop conducted in
communities such as the population in remote areas, ethnic
China contributed greatly to the enhancement of mutual
minorities and urban migrants in developing countries.
learning and experience sharing in life skills learning and of
The contribution through these two trust funds amounted
cross-regional network among the participant countries
to USD 8.25 million FY2001. The two funds were merged
into Japanese Trust Fund for the Education for All
Programme in 2002. The projects funded by these Japan
Trust-Funds are being implemented based on the principle
of equal partnership among member states, mutual
learning, and mutual sharing and accumulation of
experience among all partners.
★Literacy projects supported by Japan Funds-in Trust of capacity building for human resources (MOFA)
Budget
Country/ Region Project Title Duration
(US$)
Afghanistan Literacy and Non-Formal Education Development in Afghanistan (LAND Oct.2002- ongoing 500,000
AFGHAN)
Mauritania Development of reading in Mauritania Feb.2003- ongoing 226,000
Democratic Republic of Congo Support to the Capacity Building of Human Resources, Goma Aug.2003- ongoing 113,000
Viet Nam Learning Centers (CLC): Non-formal Education for Poverty Reduction Sep.2003- ongoing 219,999
and Community Development in the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam
China, Bangladesh, India, Mali, Capacity building for community-based literacy and life skills education Oct.2003- 591,442
Niger, Zambia programmes for disadvantaged young adults Dec.2005 (planned)
Guyana UNESCO Support to the Government of Guyana in literacy development Oct.2003- ongoing 113,000
and HIV/AIDS prevention and mitigation
Palestine EFA for Youth, Adult, and the Unprivileged Groups in the Palestinian Jul.2004- ongoing 199,500
Occupied Territories
Brazil Education youth and adult illiteracy in Brazil: counting education and Not yet started 225,887
capacity building for literacy teachers
★ Some Literacy projects supported by Japanese Trust Fund for the promotion of Education for All programmes (MEXT)
Project Title Duration Budget (US$)
Literacy Programmes for Ethnic Minorities utilizing Bilingual Tongue Approach (Phase I,2) 2003-2005 271,200
Ensuring Integration of Literacy and Continuing Education in EFA Programmes: Policy Dialogue Among South
2003-2004 93,790
Asian Countries
Gender Mainstreaming of CLC Activities and Capacity Building of CLC Personnel in this Regard 2003-2004 116,390
Capacity Building and Resource Development of Basic Education: Focusing on Combating Marginalization
2003-2004 127,125
and Exclusion
Redefining Literacy and Life Skills in the Asia-Pacific Context within the Framework of EFA and UN Literacy
2003-2005 204,410
Decade (Phase I,2)
CLC, Strengthening Networking and Collaboration towards Community Development (Phase 1) 2004-2005 190,000
Equivalency programme for the promotion of life long learning (Phase 1) 2004-2005 156,000
National Education Statistical Information System (NESIS) Capacity building and Analytical Tools for EFA
2004-2005 125,000
National Planning, Monitoring and Assessment (Phase 1)
Promoting Girl's Education and Empowerment through CLCs 2004-2005 80,000
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July, 2005
