[ProfessionalDevelopment 2019] Re: International Women' Day MessageJjc1945 at aol.com Jjc1945 at aol.comThu Mar 6 13:07:28 EST 2008
Thanks, Tom, for bringing the contributions of these women to our attention as we approach International Women's Day. It is always a pleasure to read your messages. June Justice Crawford In a message dated 3/5/2008 6:39:59 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, tsticht at znet.com writes: March 8th, 2008 is International Women's Day Honoring Three Women Literacy Workers Tom Sticht International Consultant in Adult Education For many years Namtip Aksornkool of Thailand was a senior specialist in literacy and women's education at UNESCO. In addition, she served for a number of years as the lead coordinator for UNESCO's International Literacy Day. It was in this latter capacity that I had the chance to work with Namtip during my years as a member of UNESCO's International Literacy Prize Jury that selected the annual winners of UNESCO literacy prizes. Through her work, Namtip helped to focus literacy efforts in many nations on the particular needs of women and girls. I was able to obtain and read reports and books she prepared calling attention to the needs of women for literacy education and the efforts of literacy workers. In one of these reports, "On the Ground: Adventures of Literacy Workers (UNESCO, 2002) ," Namtip related some of her own adventures in Namibia to educate adults about HIV/AIDS. She made the point that "Literacy workers must be prepared to travel by all modes of transport - helicopters, trains, jeeps, four wheelers, horses, camels, mules, elephants and, yes even by a human being!" Namtip herself made many missions to nations by these various means of travel. She recorded some of her impressions in On the Ground and stated, "Authorities always stipulate, often in official policy papers, how important women's empowerment is to their country's development. Yet experience shows that they rarely act on their word - to their own economic detriment." With this sort of straightforward commentary, unusual for a UNESCO official, Namtip was able to achieve many important literacy outcomes for women and girls. It was always a pleasure for me to have a coffee with Namtip in the café on the 7th floor of UNESCO Headquarters in Paris while discussing adult literacy education needs and UNESCO's work to meet these needs. A good example of informal education for me! >From 1985 to 2001, Martha Mvungi of Tanzania served in the position of President of the International Literacy Prize Jury. She brought to the Jury a deep understanding of the African region and the meaning of the saying that "it takes a village to raise a child." Martha focused upon the role of the community in supporting literacy programs and she was always sure to remind the Jury of the special needs of women for literacy, especially the intergenerational effects that educating women can have on children's education. This is one of the kinds of "multiplier effects" that the Jury noted can result from adult literacy education. This refers to the common finding that when adult's acquire literacy, this doesn't just increase their literacy, it frequently also increases their economic, community, and civic standings. In her 1996 report to Mr. Federico Mayor, then Director-General of UNESCO, following the Jury's meeting, Martha wrote a section which called for placing more emphasis on the multiplier effects of adult literacy education. She said, "The Jury is also of the view that emphasis on the intergenerational transfer of educating the family can reap the long-term effects of sustained literacy and education. Once the family, and in particular the adult, is literate, the … chances that their children will also go to school are very high, … This message has to be said over and over to encourage efforts in literacy to be appropriately directed towards adults and the family." Later this intergenerational effect of adult literacy education was also expressed as educational policy by Rosa Maria Torres of Ecuador, with whom I worked for a couple of years when she was a member of the UNESCO International Literacy Prize Jury in 2001 and 2002. In an online internet article posted in 2003 (The fundamental linkages between child, youth and adult learning and education.http://www.iizdvv.de/englisch/Publikationen/Supplements/60_2003/eng_ someconclusionsandelements.htm) Rosa Maria stated that, "Adult Basic Education and Learning (ABLE) cannot continue to be viewed in isolation, as a separate educational goal … but rather as part of the overall education, training and learning system and policy at national and international level. …To educate children, it is essential to educate adults, not only (illiterate, poor) parents and caregivers (including teachers) but adults in general. Because it is adults and the adult society who make the critical decisions that affect children’s well-being and development, at home, at school.... This is the importance of educating adults, for their own sake and for the sake of children, for the present and for future generations. …In fact, … the children’s right to education should include the right to educated parents." These three women exemplify the efforts of thousand of literacy workers around the world, both in the hardships they have endured in adult literacy education and the emphasis they have made on the literacy education of women and families. It was a privilege for me to have had the opportunity to work with all three of these outstanding women to further the cause of adult literacy education. I am honored to know them and to recognize their work this International Women's Day. Thomas G. Sticht International Consultant in Adult Education 2062 Valley View Blvd. El Cajon, CA 92019-2059 Tel/fax: (619) 444-9133 Email: tsticht at aznet.net ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Adult Literacy Professional Development mailing list professionaldevelopment at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/professionaldevelopment Email delivered to jjc1945 at aol.com Professional Development section of the Adult Literacy Education Wiki http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Adult_Literacy_Professional_Development **************It's Tax Time! Get tips, forms, and advice on AOL Money & Finance. (http://money.aol.com/tax?NCID=aolprf00030000000001) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/professionaldevelopment/attachments/20080306/309a3953/attachment.html
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