Renewing Literacy to Face African and International Challenges

Building Partnerships and Promoting Innovative Approaches

The number of languages in Africa plays a vital role in designing effective literacy practices and policies. This factor received renewed attention during the Regional Literacy Conference in Bamako, Mali.

Tongu-Ewe language, Ghana

Several presenters expressed support for bilingual education as a way to improve teaching and learning. The presenters explained that using a community’s mother tongue for instruction can help improve literacy skills and overall academic achievement in Africa.

The lack of relevant learning materials in African languages was identified as a contributing factor to high rates of illiteracy in many communities. The Associates in Research and Education, an organization in northern Senegal, translates and publishes educational materials and works to link cultural identities with literacy. Their efforts to empower individuals through books were discussed as one approach to advancing literacy in Africa.

In Burkina Faso, the Ministry of Education and the Swiss Workers’ Relief Agency implemented a bilingual adult literacy program taught in the national language and in French. The results were so impressive that the program has been linked with the formal education system in an intergenerational program for preschoolers, teenagers and adults.

A new study on the effectiveness of bilingual education programs in Africa is examining the quality of student learning. The study is being conducted by Human Sciences Research Council in South Africa and the Graduate School of Education at the California-based Alliant International University. The researchers will collaborate with their counterparts at other higher education institutions in Africa to determine best practices in literacy and bilingual education at those schools.

The Conference sought to generate global and country-level interest and leadership in advancing literacy in Africa. Eleven first ladies, 27 ministers of education, hundreds of literacy practitioners and program managers, and representatives of multilateral and bilateral agencies, NGOs and corporations attended the Conference.