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This report contains one man's impressions of the state of adult literacy education in several countries of Africa and in India. The first country reported on is Ethiopia, where signs of a capitalist society were evident in that officially Marxist country, where literacy education was still a priority in the midst of a waning famine. Ethiopia had conducted continuous "campaigns for literacy" that had succeeded despite lack of resources. Next, the planning for a literacy broadcasting system...

Compares African children's stories with Kenyan primary school literature with regard to structure, use of characterization, forms of dramatization, and social contexts of storytelling. Argues that school texts, published mostly by multinational firms, have been adapted to only surface characteristics of African cultures. Proposes that features of oral tradition be incorporated into language-arts materials for cultural maintenance purposes. (KS)

This report, written in popular education style and designed to be readable both by adult educators and by the people with whom they work, describes a week-long meeting of the World Assembly of Adult Education. Under the general themes "Where are we?""Where are we going?" and How to do it" the report provides synopses of the reports of 17 working groups on the following topics: peace and human rights, popular theater and communications, participatory research, rural adult education, adult...

Focusing on the education of young children in Kenya, this brief paper contains excerpts from a question and answer interview between two early childhood educators from the United States and Kenya. Both similarities and differences of the Kenyan and the U.S. system of education are revealed. Interview topics covered include the following: socially respected professions; educational theories and philosophy; beginning reading instruction; teacher/pupil ratios in classrooms; compulsory school...

The extent to which the educational system reaches women in Kenya will in some measure dictate the pace of national development. Data indicate that significant progress was made in the area of education for Kenyan women during the 1975-1984 decade. This was particularly so at the primary school level where near-parity was achieved in the enrollments between boys and girls, and, to a lesser extent, in the adult literacy role for women. There are, however, regional disparities and significant...

Concerned primarily with interactive radio for instruction, this issue highlights radio projects in developing countries that have proven to be a successful tool for educational development. These include: (1) an experimental project designed to investigate the feasibility of using radio as a medium of instruction in the teaching of elementary school mathematics, used in Nicaragua from mid-1974 to early 1979; (2) the Radio Language Arts Project, a direct follow up to the Nicaraguan Radio...

The following papers were produced by participants and resource persons on specific issues of planning, management and implementation of literacy and post-literacy strategies: "People's Participation and Mobilization: Characteristics of the Literacy Campaigns in China" (Yanwei); "Strategies for Mobilization and Participation of Volunteers in Literacy and Post-Literacy Programmes: The Case of Nicaragua" (Grigsby); "Motivating the People to Participate in Literacy and Complementary Education...

Many countries have recently launched massive programs to promote nation-wide adult literacy, but while these efforts have been commendable, it has been observed that neo-literates who acquire literacy through such programs have great difficulty in retaining it; hence an urgent need to develop suitable programs of post-literacy and continuing education has been felt. In 1980, Unesco's Institute for Education initiated a major research project designed to respond to this need. The research...

This document contains the report and edited papers from an international seminar emphasizing the sharing of ideas and resources to eliminate illiteracy. Chapter I of the seven-chapter report offers background information and seminar objectives. Chapter II provides a world overview, which describes the general development context of literacy. In chapter III, emphasis is on literacy in context. The role of national governments in eliminating illiteracy, the correlation between literacy and...

Discusses several conditions that hamper the application of distance education in Kenya and describes three distance education programs that have been planned and executed since 1980 to illustrate what is presently being achieved. Programs include an inservice course for primary school teachers, a foundation course for adult literacy, and a paramedical training course. (MBR)

Four papers on the role of libraries in adult education were presented at the 1984 IFLA general conference meeting of the Section on Adult Education. They include: (1) "The Library of the Pompeia Leisure Centre, Sao Paulo, Brazil," in which Apaty Peroni of Brazil provides background on the community, location, collection, personnel, operation, and programs of the library; (2) "The Promotion of Reading Habits and Adult Education in Kenya," in which Peter E. Kinyanjui of Kenya presents the...

The 1984 volume of the Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) newsletter includes articles on language competence and cultural awareness in the United States; interest in English in Peru; employment trends; the case method in adult English as a second language (ESL); evaluating computer assisted instruction; the "sakura" technique; writing and editing instruction; practice teaching; ESL literacy; second language learning theory and writing instruction; part-time teaching...

This study attempted to identify specific social environmental factors of the home that are related to science achievement at the primary school level and to determine the extent of the relationships between achievement in science and the factors identified. A sample of 200 subjects were given three instruments in a group setting, a mental ability test, an achievement test, and a student questionnaire. Findings indicate that: (1) boys achieved better in science than girls and that younger...

At the end of the seventh grade, students in Kenya are required to take the Certificate of Primary Education Examination (CPE), which is used as a selection instrument to determine whether students will be allowed to continue an academic course of education at the secondary school level. While the full range of subjects in the primary school curriculum includes 15 subjects, only 5 of these are covered in the CPE. The examination covers achievement in English and mathematics, and includes a...

In addition to the lead article by Andrew Hanssen, Steven Kozlow, and Anne Olsen, this publication contains the following articles related to communications in developing nations: (1) "World Communications Year, 1983"; (2) "Field Research in Botswana Leads to More Relevant Media Production," by Chris Garforth; (3) "Kenya Explores New Ways of Producing Literacy Materials for Basic Education," by Muriithi Kinyua; (4) "Changing Health Behaviors in the Hospital Setting," by Bette Booth; (5)...

Research on the role of educational radio in the classroom sponsored by the Agency for International Development over a ten-year period in Nicaragua, Kenya, and the Dominican Republic is reviewed. An introductory section outlines the reasons for using radio for instructional purposes: (1) it is widespread and democratic; (2) serious radio use is still a novelty in most classrooms; (3) it can entertain and teach simultaneously; (4) it can establish a uniform standard of excellence; (5) it can...

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 summarized to provide a framework to the deliberations. Reports follow that were presented by two sets of countries--those who had experience in...

Approaches to the format, design, and layout of printed instructional materials for distance education are illustrated in 36 samples designed to accompany the manual, "Writing for Distance Education." Each sample is presented on a single page with a note pointing out its key features. Features illustrated include use of typescript layout, a comic strip story, various question and instruction formats, check lists, signs and a key, study guidance, diagrams, list formats, pictures reinforcing...

This study sought to evaluate the mathematics curriculum of the Halane Teacher Training Institute in Somalia with a view toward: (1) determining its weaknesses and recommending measures for improvement; (2) examining its relevance to the present needs of the Somali society; (3) determining the suitability of instructional materials and other support resources; and (4) investigating the present organization of teaching practice and the time allocated to it. Thirteen of 15 mathematics teachers...