A Plan to Address Literacy Is a Plan to Address the Millennium Development Goals

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Today, BloggersUnite celebrates International Literacy Day, the day on which UNESCO reminds the international community of the status of literacy and adult learning globally.

September 8 was proclaimed International Literacy Day by UNESCO on November 17, 1965. It was first celebrated in 1966. Its aim is to highlight the importance of literacy to individuals, communities and societies. On International Literacy Day each year, UNESCO reminds the international community of the status of literacy and adult learning globally. Celebrations take place around the world.

Since its foundation in 1946, UNESCO has been at the forefront of global literacy efforts and is dedicated to keeping literacy high on national, regional and international agendas.

September 8th International Literacy Day

Literacy is a cause for celebration since there are now close to four billion literate people in the world. However, literacy for all – children, youth and adults - is still an unaccomplished goal and an ever moving target. A combination of ambitious goals, insufficient and parallel efforts, inadequate resources and strategies, and continued underestimation of the magnitude and complexity of the task accounts for this unmet goal. Lessons learnt over recent decades show that meeting the goal of universal literacy calls not only for more effective efforts but also for renewed political will and for doing things differently at all levels - locally, nationally and internationally.

This is obviously tied to Millennium Development Goal No. 2. Universal Education with 67.4 million children not being provided an education.

While four billion people in the world are literate, there are still one in five adults or some 796 million adults lacking minimum literacy skills. About two-thirds of those are women, so Millennium Development Goal 3. Gender Equity is also a factor.

Since January 2003 through resolution A/RES/56/116 the United Nations has declared the United Nations Literacy Decade, 10-year focus on the topic and International Plan of Action for the Decade.

Why is literacy important?

Literacy is a human right, a tool of personal empowerment and a means for social and human development. Educational opportunities depend on literacy.Literacy is at the heart of basic education for all, and essential for eradicating poverty, reducing child mortality, curbing population growth, achieving gender equality and ensuring sustainable development, peace and democracy. There are good reasons why literacy is at the core of Education for All (EFA).

A good quality basic education equips pupils with literacy skills for life and further learning; literate parents are more likely to send their children to school; literate people are better able to access continuing educational opportunities; and literate societies are better geared to meet pressing development .

Zunia reports that Plan International is putting forward an Education Strategy 2010-2013 that covers the last 3 years of the UN Literacy Decade.

Plan is committed to high quality education for children and young people. This strategy focuses on Plan's 3 education priorities - improving equal access, enhancing quality and strengthening education governance.

Each strategic priority has a clear set of key actions designed to bring about change, not only for families, schools and communities, but also at national and international levels.

The strategy places particular emphasis on the need to eliminate gender discrimination, as well as focussing on other key challenges, such as the inclusion of marginalized children.

Education and literacy are the human capital basis for achieving the other 7 of the United Nations' Eight Goal Millennium Campaign. From September 17 to 19 we need to Make NOISE to let the United Nations Summit on the Millennium Development Goals, taking September 20 to 22, 2010, know of their importance and the importance of all the Millennium Development Goals.

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• Twitter launches Literacy Day 2010 to eradicate illiteracy. (thenextweb.com)

Girls Learning to Help Girls Learning to Help Themselves.

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It seems that this is the year of the Girl. This blog has written on issues related to Millennium Development Goal No. 3 Gender Equity and especially on programs focused on the younger set through the Girl Effect programs.

• The Girl Effect

• Talking about the Girl Effect at Davos on YouTube

• Change Initiative to Empower Adolescent Girls Investing in the Girl Effect

The idea is to intervene early to provide a sense of empowerment in young females so that they can make a difference in their societies when they grow up. Even with the younger set their are two sides, those who have and those who don't. The first program looks at those who have and endeavors to instill in them a sense of responsibility for girls leaving in circumstances far less fortunate.

Robin Marty of Care2 writing on Women's Rights wrote on the United Nations decision to Girl Up!

Today, the United Nations has taken another step to address these issues particular to girls across the globe with the launch of GirlUp, a campaign that "gives American girls the opportunity to channel their energy and compassion to raise awareness and funds for programs of the United Nations that help some of the world’s hardest-to-reach adolescent girls." According to the campaign's website, "girls have the opportunity to become educated, healthy, safe, counted, and positioned to be the next generation of leaders."

• Homepage | GirlUp | United Nations Foundation | Uniting Girls to Change the World

  Diigo Tags: girlup, United Nations, mdgs

from Diigo. The rest of Make Noise for MDGs group favorite links are here.

The second program, introduced by Emily V. also of Care2 and part of the ThePetitionSite Team, is concerned with girls in developing countries. Emily is asking us to tell Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to use Bright Future as a model to end violence against women worldwide »

I did with the following message:

Bright Future gives women a fighting chance. It provides education and health checks for young girls and protects them from violence.

Bright Future is only one of many programs and projects in existence but none of them will have any impact if our governments do not take full responsibility of ensuring that these programs are supported. The United Nations is the best organization to push this agenda on a global scale as it is concurrently pushing for the implementation of Millennium Development Goal 3. Gender Equity and because girls are far less likely to be educated as compared with boys, with Millennium Development Goal 2. Universal Education

As of the time of posting this they were at 15,513 signatures! I put in my two cents taking the usual slacktivistic tactic of using the prepared online statement and throwing something related to the Millennium Development Goals. Those looking for a more hands on approach in the future should consider GirlUp as a place for future leaders.

Zunia update on OLPC

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One of the early influences in this web journey was One Laptop Per Child program, which I learned of first from TED Video Nicholas Negroponte on One Laptop per Child.

The program has always engendered controversy in its implementation, its attempted partnership with Intel and the larger issues of how the program fits into the educational programs of developing nations. Whether it would reach its full potential has been a question. At times it seems to have been A Hopeful Idea Hopelessly Mired?

I had not thought about OLPC for quite a while when Zunia recently raised the issue again. This time the discussion is more extensive and deeper because of the time that the program has been out there and the shared experiences of those on-the-ground trying to make the best of the program. This post only scratches the surface of what the Zunia articles and extended discussions offer. I plan on reading them again to get a better understanding, not so much of the OLPC program but the challenges faced by organizations that attempt to create educational programs in developing nations that address the challenge of Millennium Development Goal 2. Universal Education. The discussion demonstrates that despite the best of idealistic intentions, implementing these programs is both difficult and complex.

Zunia asks, under both Education and Science & Tech ICT, What Have We Learned From One Laptop Per Child?

Four years ago, Nicholas Negroponte introduced the world to the "One Laptop Per Child" idea at WSIS by showing off a "$100 laptop" with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. The educational and technology fields haven't been the same since.OLPC has impact deeper and farther than just XO's passed out or more...

Dweep Chanana provides the counterpoint in the Educational Technology Debate with Wayan Vota on what the OLPC has achieved thus far. He disagrees with claim that that the OLPC is “changing education, technology, even culture in ways beyond any one person’s understanding.” Instead he takes the position OLPC is not “revolutionalizing” education

For one lets be realistic that the OLPC is not “revolutionalizing” education. Yes, OLPC will soon have 1 million XO laptops in circulation. But compare that with 121 million children not in school, 668 million children that started primary school in 2007, or the 774 million illiterate adults and the OLPC does not seem that revolutionary. No doubt, computers will be important in the future to deliver education, but a lot of schools still struggle with having a blackboard or even a building. So lets not overstate either the scale or the impact of the OLPC.

Scott Kipp writes about What We Learned From OLPC Deployments

I think there is a great deal being learned from the story of the OLPC Foundation itself, and even more still from the myriad OLPC deployments around the world. Lessons from OLPC projects will be coming out for years to come, to help better match the tools to the desired pedagogical approach.

According to Leland Smith For Real OLPC Impact, We Need Infrastructure

I was in the Peace Corps in Cape Verde as an ICT volunteer from 2006 to 2008, and while I was there, the One Laptop Per Child project came on my radar and I became pretty enamored of the prospect of bringing some XOs to the country, or at least raising awareness of the idea within the government.

However, after considering all the obstacles with some fellow volunteers and local educators, including a Ministry of Education delegate, I kept running into the same issue: So we get the laptops, and then what? We discussed the potential of OLPC endlessly, but eventually came to the conclusion that the program was a mess, especially after the departure of some of their best minds and the insistence that the hardware is the only thing to supply. But if OLPC itself won’t supply the rest of the framework, somebody must.

2nd of 8 days 8 Goals Personal Stories behind the Millennium Development Goals

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This is the second of the 8 videos provided by the Facebook Group United Nations Millennium Campaign on the Millennium Development goals. The "first" day video is here.

This captivating video focuses on the personal stories and struggles around achieving United Nations Millennium Campaign Goal 2 Universal Education.

Related Posts:

• Getting Educated about Millennium Development Goal No. 2

• Educational Pathways - for People - for Nations

• Reaping from Yesterday's Efforts Planting for the Future

• Learning how kids teach themselves, then get out of the way

• Talking about the Girl Effect at Davos on YouTube

• Change Initiative to Empower Adolescent Girls Investing in the Girl Effect

• Social responsibility, seeking the good

• The Girl Effect

Getting Educated about Millennium Development Goal No. 2

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This is a guest post on the Universal Education Millenium Development Goal written by BlogCatalog colleague Claus Thorsson, a freelance writer who specializes in *free college admission essays* (link to: ) and *time management tips for college students*.

MDG 2: Giving Children and the World a Better Future

The *MDGs or Millennium Development Goals* are a set of objectives committed to by the nation members of the UN to address global problems in education, poverty, gender equality, and environmental degradation by 2015. The *MDG No. 2* (pdf) aims to provide universal primary education for all children of primary school age, regardless of gender and nationality, all over the world. The goal not only focuses on enrollment, but also in ensuring the completion of primary school and the high quality of education.

MDG 2 as a necessary action

In today's world, education is the key to gaining quality life. By forwarding the cause of universal primary school education, especially in developing nations ravaged by poverty, wars, and civil unrest, children can be better equipped when dealing with these issues and when rebuilding their nation in the future.

The benefit for humanity in general

One of the main causes of poverty is *lack of education* (see page 16). By addressing education problems, one is not only helping children make a better life for themselves and their families, but one is also combating poverty as one of its roots. Through education, developing nations have a better chance of improving their situation and creating a better future for their countries. This results in narrowing the gap between developed and developing nations, which then ensures that each nation is truly sovereign in the sense that it can stand equally amongst all the nations in the world economically and financially.

MDG Goal 2 challenges

The main obstacle to the initiatives of MDG Goal 2 is getting the resources that it needs to achieve the goals by the set time of 2015. Though the MDG Goal 2 did obtain *significant results* (link to:) for the past years as can be seen in the examples in Africa and Haiti, it is still short of the $11 billion needed annually to be on track for its 2015 target. Another challenge to MDG 2's initiatives is the willingness of the governments to allot a significant part of their *budgets to education*. The MDG is working towards having governments allot 15% to 20% of their national budget for education. Part of the drive is to provide free primary education for children, and if not, to waive the educational fees for the poorest families.

Gender equality

As education is provided regardless of gender, nationality, or culture, this will help lessen gender inequality and provide better opportunities for women to get a better life (MDG No. 3 Gender Equity). *Statistics* (see page 18) show that there is still disparity between the number of girls and boys with access to primary education. The Millennium Development Goals strives to close that gap.

Working with different nations and governments organizations

Another one of the challenges that the MDG faces is getting the full support of UN member nations towards achieving its goals. Apart from getting the full commitment of governments about allotting their domestic budgets for education, there are also the cultural walls that have to be broken, especially about women's rights. But anything can be accomplished through dialog, and with the *proper coordination with developed nations* and local NGOs, breaking through these challenges can be managed.

Related Posts:

• Educational Pathways - for People - for Nations

• Reaping from Yesterday's Efforts Planting for the Future

• Learning how kids teach themselves, then get out of the way

• Talking about the Girl Effect at Davos on YouTube

Educational Pathways - for People - for Nations

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This blog, despite good advice to the contrary, has a wide and varied focus. Although it deals with the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, that gives it 8 separate topics to write about. It also writes about a variety of approaches to those 8 Goals and the various organizations around the world implementing those approaches.

One approach particularly appreciated by this blog, though not dealt with enough, is education. Below are some links oriented to education gathered over time. These show both the tremendous challenges that must be overcome and the efforts that have been and are being made. They also show the impact that these efforts can have on the broader world stage.

OneWorld South Asia Home

Diigo tags: oneworld, education, mdg, mdgs

Education is the backbone of national development and is widely accepted as an instrument of social change. India has been an active partner in the worldwide movement for education for All that began in 1990 in Jomtien followed by Millennium development goals. The important issues which need immediate attention to achieve MDG targets in Education are as follow.[these issues can be updated]

• Talibans in madrasas trying to carve jihadis out of kids
• World Bank study spells out Bhutan's education woes
• India's missing think tanks
  

China’s higher education transformation | vox - Research-based policy analysis and commentary from leading economists

Diigo tags: China, economics, globalization, trade

Unlike most developing economies, China’s educational policy focuses on upgrading higher education. This column summarises the major transformation occurring in China – including nearly a quintupling in enrolments – and highlights its implications for the global economy.

Economic View - This Global Show Must Go On - NYTimes.com

By 2010, China will have more Ph.D. scientists and engineers than the United States. These professionals are not fundamentally a threat. To the contrary, they are creators, whose ideas are likely to improve the lives of ordinary Americans, not just the business elites. The more access the Chinese have to American and other markets, the more they can afford higher education and the greater their incentive to innovate.

Diigo tags: marginalrevolution, globalization, trade, economics

There is a natural tendency to compare China and India in their economic policies and more specifically their approaches to meeting the Millennium Development Goals. They have each made amazing strides in improving their national economic standing though how well they have done internally is still a matter of concern both externally and internally to each country. The new Human Development Index statistical update which was released on December 18, 2008, (in which China, India and the United States went down compared to 2005) puts China at 94 and India at 132. A future post may take a look at how each country is doing regarding Millennium Development Goal No. 2. Universal Education.

Related Posts:

• Human Development - The Measurement of Human Endeavors

• Getting the Dragon and the Elephant to work together

• Next Year's Blogging Action Day - Getting an early start

• Learning how kids teach themselves, then get out of the way

Next Year's Blogging Action Day - Getting an early start

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I left Collis of Blogging Action Day the following message by e-mail (sans some typos).

I am getting my "vote" in early about next year's Blog Action Day - Universal Education. Not too long ago I got interested in the UN Millennium Development Goals. I joined an Orkut group supporting Stand Up Take Action and the thought came to my mind wouldn't it be cool if the Blog Action folks had poverty as their focus this year, lo and behold you did. Trouble is despite the online success of Blog Action and the participation of people around the world in Stand Up Take Action these issues are still not mainstream which can be seen by the lack of 1st level mass media attention. Yes, I know that they are owned by corporations, but if this was understood and appreciated by the average person in the Western World there would be more main stream stories on it. So then Blog Action Day 2009 focuses on supporting Universal Education and then we can use it as a means of increasing awareness of all the related issues. Get Junior High School students on board and by 2015 they are or just about ready to vote. People are likely to be more willing to provide education for others when they are educating their own kids. Kids are more likely to be comfortable with the net having grown up with it. Lastly, this came to me because of the recent work of TED and Dave Eggers Once Upon a School, seems like there is something there that could be built upon.

Learning how kids teach themselves, then get out of the way

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TED.com featured Sugata Mitra Speaking at LIFT 2007 about the "Hole in the Wall" project -- Not Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, but kids in an Indian neighborhood figuring out (on their own) how to use a PC and mouse, and then teaching their friends. The fundamental underlying question, "How can traditional schools (especially those that are remote and without adequate resources) harness the immense power of children to teach one another?"

Sugata Mitra: Can kids teach themselves?

This fits in with the Millennium Development Goal No. 2. Universal Education, and the One Laptop Per Child program.

Mallory King Grows A Non-Profit In Her Neighborhood

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Having governments meet their obligations under the Millennium Development Goals is only the start of the struggle. There is still going to be the need to implement those programs and that will not be done by bureaucrats. The design community, using that term in the most inclusive manner possible, will play a large role. One such design company that already participates at both the local and global levels is Design 21. Jennifer Bonhomme via DESIGN 21 Recent Activity provides an example of Growing A Non-Profit with Mallory King back on 7/21/08.

After 20 years of experience working as a nonprofit professional in youth development and arts education with organizations like the YMCA and the Big Sister Association, I was inspired to found Arts to Grow from the ground up. I witnessed the power of arts learning to change kids’ outlooks on life, to open doors to new experiences, to harness their creative power and get them excited about learning.