?UNESCO

InternationalLiteracyDayandPrizes2022

Transformingliteracylearningspaces

Executivesummaryofthebackgroundpaper

ThissummarywaspreparedintheframeworkoftheInternationalLiteracyDayactivitiesandtheUNESCOInternationalLiteracyPrizes2022.Itexploresthetheme‘TransformingLiteracyLearningSpaces’andoffersananalyticalreviewoftheapplicationsreceivedforthe2022editiontoidentifytrendsofhowthenominatedprogrammesareleveraging,adaptingand/ortransformingliteracylearning

spaces.Itconcludesbyproposingfivekeyareasofpolicyactiontotransformliteracylearningspacesfortheadvancementofliteracyforall.

Executivesummary

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Publishedin52022bytheUnitedNationsEducational,ScientificandCulturalOrganization,7,placedeFontenoy,75352Paris07SP,France

?UNESCO2022

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implytheexpressionofanyopinionwhatsoeveronthepartofUNESCOconcerningthelegalstatusofanycountry,territory,cityorareaorofitsauthorities,orconcerningthedelimitationofitsfrontiersorboundaries.

Theideasandopinionsexpressedinthispublicationarethoseoftheauthors;theyarenotnecessarilythoseofUNESCOanddonotcommittheOrganization.

Author:UlrikeHanemann

Executivesummary

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ThecentralityofliteracyinachievingtheSustainableDevelopmentGoals

Literacyisakeycomponentofthefundamentalrighttoeducationandacriticalfoundationforindependentlearning.Asamajordriverofsocioeconomictransformation,itisalso

criticaltoachievingtheSustainableDevelopmentGoals(SDGs).Literacyandnumeracyhavetoplayanessentialroleinbuildingmorepeaceful,just,inclusiveandsustainablesocieties

andinaddressingglobalchallenges.Theseincludeclimatechangeandnaturaldisasters,

crisessuchasthecurrentCOVID-19pandemic,thechangingnatureofworkdueto

digitalizationandtheadventofnewtechnologies,rapiddemographicchange,aswellasconflictandwar.

TheEducation2030Agenda(SDG4),whichsetsoutanewvisionforeducationandlifelonglearning,dedicatesaspecifictarget(4.6)toyouthandadultliteracy,namelyto‘ensurethatallyouthandasubstantialproportionofadults,bothmenandwomen,achieveliteracyandnumeracy’.Whileliteracyandnumeracyplayimportantrolesacrossallagegroups,thereis

anurgentneedfortransformativeactiontoeffectivelyaddressglobalsustainabilitychallengesspecificallyrelatedtoyouthandadultliteracyandlearning.

Challengesandopportunities

Indeed,accordingtothemostrecentestimates(2020),therearestill771millionadultsaged15andabovewholackbasicliteracyskills,two-thirdsofthemwomen.Inaddition,an

estimated260millionchildrenandadolescentsofprimaryandsecondaryschool-ageare

out-of-school.TheCOVID-19crisishashad—andcontinuedtohave—asignificantnegativeimpactonlearnersofallages.Ithasmagnifiedalreadyexistingdisparitiesfromsuchfactorsasextremepoverty,disability,gender,age,ethnicity,languageandgeography,andisa

barriertoachievingeducationgoals.

Thecrisishasnotonlyintensifiedpersistentchallenges,ithasalsobroughtaboutnewopportunitieswhichhaveledtoorrequirecontinuouschange,adaptationand

transformation.Whileeducationsystemsaroundtheworldareadaptingtovaryingdegreesanddemonstratingresilienceincopingwiththecrisis,thepandemicisalsoshowingthat

currentlearninginfrastructuresareinsufficient,inadequateandhighlyvulnerable.Thisis

particularlytrueforyouthandadultliteracyandnon-formalbasiceducation,whichalthoughcriticaltoeducationaltransformation,remainseriouslyunder-fundedaccordingtorecent

studies.

However,newevidencegatheredsincetheoutbreakoftheCOVID-19pandemic

demonstratestheresilienceofyouthandadultliteracystakeholdersandtheircontinued

abilitytopavethewaytoeducationaltransformation.ArecentUNESCOsurveyonthe

COVID-19impactonyouthandadultliteracy(2022)foundthat80percentofresponding

governmentshavetakenspecificmeasuresand/orprovidedfinancialsupporttorespondto

thecrisis.Theanalyticalreviewoftheapplicationsforthe2022UNESCOInternationalLiteracyPrizesprovidesadditionalinsightsintopromisinginitiativesforthecreation,developmentandtransformationofenablingliteracylearningenvironments.

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Thetransformativepotentialofliteracy

Theanalysisofglobaltrendsonhowliteracystakeholdersandnominatedprogrammesare

leveraging,adaptingand/ortransformingliteracylearningspacestoensure(re-)engagementinandcontinuityoflearningofdisadvantagedpopulationsinthecontextofcrisesis

underpinnedbyanexpandedvisionofliteracy.Thisvisioninvolvesapplyingthelifelong

learningprincipletoliteracytotapitsfulltransformativepotentialasalifelongandlife-widelearningprocessandaspartofholisticlifelonglearningsystems.Thisfurtherinvolvesputting

the(special)needs,aspirationsandlifecircumstancesoflearnersintothecentreandbringingliteracyclosetopeople’severydaylivestoengagetheminlearning.Thisalsorequiresremovingpotentialhurdlestoparticipationinorganizedlearningactivities.

Thiseffortfurtherrequiresthatliteracybeembeddedintopeople’seconomic,socialandculturalactivities,therebycreatingrequirementsandopportunitiesfortheuse,

improvementandretentionofliteracyskillstomakethemsustainable.Thisrequiresbothalearner-centredanddemand-orientedapproachandawhole-systemapproachthattakes

intoconsiderationteachingandlearningprocesses,thesupportingstructuresandthe

contextualdimensionsthatshapethebroaderenabling(political,socioeconomicand

cultural)environment.Assuch,anytransformationeffortinthefieldofliteracyhasto

considerthediverseelementsoftheentiresystemwhich,ofcourse,needtoworkforthespecificlearner(s).

Evidenceonglobaltrends

Altogether,wecanobserveagrowingrecognitionofliteracyandnumeracy—togetherwithotheressentialskillsandtransferablecompetences—asintegralelementsofotherlearning,educationandtraining.Thereisagrowingawarenessthattheliteracychallengemustbe

metwithanapproachthatincludesallsubsectorsandallagegroups.Thisrequiresthe

developmentofinstitutionalizedlearningsystemswhichneedtoofferflexiblelearning

opportunitiesthatsupportlearningatallstagesofaperson’slifeandinarangeofdiverse

settings,modalitiesandspaces.Nationalqualificationsframeworks(NQFs)andoperationalsystemsfortherecognition,validationandaccreditation(RVA)ofnon-formallyorinformallyacquiredlearningoutcomescanhelptoovercomethestill-prevalentcompartmentalization

ofeducationsubsystemsandenableout-of-schoolpopulationstoobtainrecognizedcertificatesandqualifications.

Availableevidencesuggestsawidevarietyofvenuesandplaceswherepeoplecanlearnanddeveloptheirliteracy,numeracy,language,digitalandothercompetences.Ingeneral,thereislimitedrecognitionofout-of-schoolliteracyandnumeracypracticesandalackof

awarenessofliteracypractices,languagesandlocalknowledgesusedininformallearning

spaces.Thediverselearningspacesinwhichindigenousand/or(inter)generationallearningactivitiestakeplacerangefromneighbourhoodspacestoworkplaces,marketplaces,

religiousspacesandaboveall,thehome.Whilesomeofthesespacesarefallingoutofuse,otherinformalintergenerationalspacesaregrowinginpopularityandnewspacesarebeingcreated.

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Formalornon-formalliteracyprogrammescantakeplaceinphysicaland/orvirtual

environmentsandbefoundindiversecontexts(i.e.,urbanorrural)andsettingssuchasathome,atschool,attheworkplace,inpublic,privateandreligiousplaces,inadultand

communitylearningcentres,(mobile)libraries,museums,prisons,and,ofcourse,indigitalenvironments.Manyliteracyprogrammesusevariouslearningspacesincomplementary

ways,orencouragetheirlearnerstoexpandtheirliteracydevelopmentactivitiesbeyondscheduledclassesandclassroomspaces.Thewayhowdifferentliteracyprogrammeshavecreativelyandproductivelyusedthepotentialofliterateenvironmentsoutsideof

classroomshasbeenstudiedincontextsofhomeenvironments,libraries,prisonsanddigitalenvironments.

AnotherrecentresearchexaminedtherolesthatCommunityLearningCentres(CLCs)and

othercommunity-basedlearninginstitutionscanplayaslearningspacestoenable

participationofvulnerableandexcludedgroupsstrugglingtoovercomevariousbarriersto

learning.Suchinstitutionalizedformsofteachingandlearningofferopportunitiesforliteracy

andlivelihoodskillstraining,healthandcitizenshippromotion,basiceducation,and

vocationaltraining,inlinewiththeprincipleoflifelonglearning,andinthecontextoflocalcommunities.TheanalysisconcludesthatCLCsandothercommunity-basedinstitutionscanbedevelopedascornerstonestolocalinfrastructurebecausetheyofferaone-stopshopforavarietyofservicestoalltargetgroupsonthelifelonglearningcontinuumandacross

sectors.Therefore,theycanimproveaccesstoliteracyandincreaselevelsofinclusionandparticipation,inparticularamongthe(most)difficulttoreach.

ImportanceofdigitaltechnologyinfacingtheCOVID-19crisis

Availableresearchevidencefurtherrevealsthatthecreationofenablingliteracylearning

spaceshasbeenshapedbyarangeofdevelopmentsindifferentsocietiesandeconomies,

includingtheintegrationofdigitalinformationandcommunicationtechnologies(ICT)—

suchascomputers,tablets,e-booksandmobiletechnology—intoallkindofteachingand

learningspacesofliteracyandnumeracy.Suchdevelopmentshavefurtheraccelerated

duringtheCOVID-19crisis.Whiletechnology-basedenvironmentshavethepotentialto

enhanceaccessandoutreach,motivatelearnerstoengageorre-engageinlearning,improvethequalityofteachingandlearning,andboostthepossibilitiesforlifelonglearning,theyarenotaself-containedsolution.Inaddition,manydifficultieshavetobeovercomeandsome

prerequisitesmustbemettoharnessthepotentialofdigitalenvironmentsincludingrelatedpoliciesandstrategies;physical,hardwareandsoftwareinfrastructures;humanandfinancialresources;implementationmodalities;andrelevantteachingandlearningcontentsand

methodologies.

KeepinglearnersengagedamidcompetingprioritieshasbeenamajorchallengesincethebeginningoftheCOVID-19crisis.Casestudy-basedresearchsuggeststhatwell-established

programmes,withsustainablefundingandpartnershipmodels,stronglearning

infrastructuresandlongexperiencewithmultimodalandblendedwaysofteachingandlearning,werebetterpositionedtoensurecontinuityoflearning.Inaddition,openness,creativity,flexibilityandcommitmenttocontinuousimprovementandservicetotheir

learnershavealsocontributedtocreatingandsustainingenablinglearningenvironmentsduringthepandemic.

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TherecentlyconductedUNESCOsurveyontheCOVID-19impactonyouthandadultliteracy

revealsthatthoseliteracyproviderswhomanagedtotransitiontodistancelearningfacednumerouschallenges,too,aboveallalackoffunds,limitedcapacitytoequipandsupportlearnersandteacherswithrelateddevices,materialsandskillsandpoororunavailable

Internetconnections.Onthepositiveside,surveyfindingspointtomoreawarenessoftheimportanceofsocial,emotionalandmentalwell-beingofallstakeholdersforliteracy

programmestobesuccessfulandresilient.Thereisalsoarenewedinvestmentinteacherstobetterpreparethemforflexibleteachingandlearningapproaches.And,anexpanded

visionofliteracyisincreasinglyobservable.

Innovativeexperiencesofprogrammesnominatedforthe2022UNESCOInternationalLiteracyPrizes

Anumberof2022UNESCOInternationalLiteracyPrizescandidatessharetheirexperienceswithusingandtransformingcommunityandotherplacesintoeffectivelearningspaces

includingexistinglibraries,religiousplaces,prisons,workshopsandworkplaces,outdoors

undertreesandaboveall,thehomesoffamilies.Thesespacespresenttheadvantagethattheyare,inprinciple,opentoeverybodyandeasilyaccessible.Assafetyandproximityplayanimportantrole,deliveryoflearningresources(mobilelibrary)orclasses‘a(chǎn)tthedoorstep’incommunityspacesorinlearners’homescanmakeadifferenceintimesoflockdown,aswellasfordisplaced,disabledorelderlypersonsandgirlsandwomen.Parentsandfamiliesareinvitedtoassistchildrenwithlearningathomeandtojoinonlinelearningactivities,

strengtheningtherebyschool-homecommunicationandrelationsduringthepandemic.Furthermore,candidatesmentionalternativepathways,condensedcurriculaofliteracy

programmes,anddifferentiatedplanning,amongotherinitiatives,aimingattheengagementoflearnersinmotivational,participatoryandneed-basedlearning.

Thein-depthreviewofthe16finalistnominationsforthe2022UNESCOInternational

LiteracyPrizesillustrateshowabroadvarietyofspacescanbeleveraged,adaptedand

transformedtosupportliteracylearningacrossallagegroups.Thoseprogrammestargetingchildrenmainlyuseschoolclassrooms,homesandcommunityspaces(e.g.,libraries)for

theiractivities.Veryfewprogrammesexclusivelyusevirtuallearningspacesclaimingthattheygettotransformanyspaceintoaliteracylearningspaceaslongasthelearnerhasa

tabletwiththeproject’spre-downloadedcontentorgadgetswithaccesstotheInternet.

However,mostofthemapplyhybridteachingandlearningapproaches(in-personand

distancelearning).Thevastmajority(14)offinalistprogrammesusehigh-techsolutions

(e.g.,onlineplatform,apps),whilefiveprogrammesemploylow-techsolutions(e.g.,TV,

radio,SMS),andsevenrelyalsoonno-techsolutions(e.g.,printedlearningmaterials).Yet,mostofthecandidatescombinedifferentsolutions.Thelinksbetweenthedifferentspacesareensuredthroughregularmeetings,(online)knowledgeexchange,andpartnership

collaboration.

Theanalysedprogrammesgiveaccountofabroadrangeoflearningspacestheyuse,insideandoutsideoftheeducationsystem.Thisreflectsanongoingtrendofexpandinglearningspacesbeyondtheclassroomandeducationalinstitutions,particularlyobservableinnon-formaleducation.Inthecontextofschoolclosuresduringthepandemic—inadditionto

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distanceandonlinelearning—home-basedlearninghasmovedfamilyliteracyandintergenerationallearningaswellascommunityinvolvementintofocus.

Advancingthegloballiteracyagenda

Thefindingsofthisstudyconfirmthatlearnerengagementinliteracylearningcanbenefitfromleveragingexistinginnovations,resourcesandopportunities,adaptingthemtotheneeds,aspirationsandliferealitiesoflearners,andtransformingliteracylearning

environmentsandspaceswithawhole-systemapproach.Therelationshipbetweenan

individual’smotivationtoengageandremaininliteracylearningandthequalityandvarietyofsuchliteracy-stimulatingenvironments—athome,atwork,inthecommunityandin

societyasawhole—isreflectedinanincreasingemphasisoncreatingandsustainingsuchenvironmentsandspacesasakeyelementofeffectiveliteracystrategies.Approaching

youthandadultliteracyfromalifelonglearningperspectivetoactivateitstransformativepotential,canempowerpeopletohandlechallengesintoday’sandtomorrow’sworld

autonomously,productivelyandcreativelyandtocontributetothedevelopmentofmoresustainable,peacefulandjustsocietiesonahealthyplanet.

Keyareasofpolicyaction

Buildingonthisanalysisofrichexperiencesaswellasavailableevidenceonglobaltrends,andframingthiswithinthebroaderSDG4andEducationTransformationSummitagendas,thisstudyproposesthefollowingfivekeyareasofpolicyactiontotransformliteracy

learningspacesfortheadvancementofliteracyforall:

1.Developawhole-systemapproachtomapping,usingandtransformingliteracylearningsettingstoadvanceliteracylearningforall

Mostoftheanalysedprogrammesoperateinclosealignmentwiththeirnationaleducationsystemseekingtoleverageexistinginfrastructureandfunding,aswellastomeetnormativeregulationsandprescribedcurriculaallowingtheirlearnerstoobtainrecognizedcertificates

andqualifications.Theyfurtherseektocontributetothedevelopmentofinnovativeapproachestoliteracy.

Whileasuccessfulliteracystrategyrequiresawhole-systemapproach,thereisstillalongwaytogoinmostofthecountriestoachievefullinterconnectionofthevariousongoingpromisingpracticesandeffortstocreate,developandtransformanenablingliteracy

learningenvironment.Whole-systemapproachestoliteracylearningwillhavetoworkfor

learners,especiallymarginalizedout-of-schoolpopulations,bymapping,usingandtransforminglearner-centredenablingliteracylearningenvironments.

2.Focusonlearnerneedsbyengaging,inparticular,themostmarginalized

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Severalprogrammeshavestrengthenedtheireffortstobringlearningclosertotheirlearners(‘tothedoorstep’)throughabetterunderstandingoftheirliferealitiesandlinking

programmeactivitiestotheirimmediateneedsandinterests.Suchpersonalized,need-based

andlearner-centredapproachespointtotheneedtoseekcontinuouscommunicationandinteractionwithlearners.Duringthepandemic,successfulprogrammesachievedthis

throughwellpreparedandsupportededucators.

Engagingthemostmarginalizedlearnersinliteracylearningrequireshelpingtoremovepotentialhurdlestoparticipationinrelatedlearningactivitiesandexploringwaysof

motivatingthemtoremainlongenoughinorganizedlearningactivitiestoachieve

sustainableliteracyproficiencylevels.Itfurtherinvolvesawhole-systemapproachtothecreationofinclusiveandenablingenvironmentsbyconsideringandgroupingthevariouselements,contexts,circumstances,systems,measuresandresourcesaroundthespecificlearner.

3.Fostertheprofessionaldevelopmentofliteracyprovidersandeducators

Thereisanincreasedattentionofseveralprogrammestotrainingandprofessional

developmentofteachersensuringthatprogrammeactivitiesachievetoengageandretain

learners,butalsoteachersbybuildingcommunitieswheretheymayexchangeandreflect

collectively,formingaprofessionalidentity.Inadditiontocreatingasustainabledemandforliteracy(andother)learning,thisstrategycontributestotheimprovementofeducational

qualityandrelevance,andtherebytolong-termchangeinthesystem.Strengtheningthe

capacitiesofprogrammestaffconstitutesanessentialtransformativeelementofseveralofthenominations.

Incontextsofcrisisandaccelerateddynamicsofchange,itisindispensablethateveryonebecomesalifelonglearnerincludingteachers,programmeprovidersandtheirpartners.Training,pedagogicalandsocio-emotionalsupport,andcontinuousprofessional

developmentofliteracyprovidersandeducatorsarecontributingtothedevelopmentof

nationalcapacitiesforinnovation.Thisthereforeneedstoberecognizedasacentrepieceofalltransformingeducationefforts.

4.Continuetoleveragethepotentialofdigitaltechnologyforliteracyteachingandlearning

Availableinformationonanalysedprogrammesreflectsatrendoftransformationof

traditionalclassroomsettingsbywaysofincorporatingdigitaltechnologiesandresourcesintoteachingandlearning.Inconsiderationofavailableinfrastructures,thisoftenincludesbothonlineandoffline(no-,low-andhigh-tech)solutions,massmedia(radio,TV)and

individualdevices(smartphones,comp