New definition of literacy needed, argues UNESCO

The definition of literacy needs to be modified in Pakistan to align it with international standards, according to a recommendation by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) made in its guidelines, "Strategic Framework of Action (SFA) for the United Nations Literacy decade". "We need to make the definition of literacy more aligned with international standards. There is currently no inclusion of numeracy and comprehension in the definition," UNESCO Director, Ingeborg Breines, told IRIN in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad on Monday. "We are in support of the implemenation of these guidelines," Najmuddin Mangrio, a Joint Educational Adviser at the Ministry of Education, told IRIN in Islamabad. Pakistan has had a varied definition of literacy over the years, leading to statistics of literacy rates, which, technically, are not comparable, the SFA guidelines state. According to UNESCO, the present literacy rate in Pakistan is 51 percent. "Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nepal have the lowest literacy rates in the region," Breines said. The overall literacy rate throughout Pakistan varies widely throughout the different regions. According to the 1998 Population Census, the province of Balochistan had a literacy rate of 24.8 percent whereas Islamabad's capital region had a rate of 72.4 percent. It was found urban literacy rates were almost double of those in rural areas, with female literacy rating 62.4 percent in Islamabad, compared to only 14 percent in Balochistan. Globally, two-thirds of the illiterate are women. "We are hoping to increase the current literacy rate by another 50 percent by the year 2015," Mangrio said. Some definitions of literacy in Pakistan have included those who are only capable of writing their own names. The National Education Policy (NEP) set out in 1998 states that functional literacy and income generation skills would be provided to rural women in the 15 to 25 age group and basic educational facilities to working children. Functional literacy will be imparted to adolescents (10-14) who missed out on the chance to get primary education, and the existing disparities in basic education will be reduced to half by the year 2010, the NEP said. "Literacy is to be our top priority as well as free compulsory education," Breines stressed, adding that the implementation of such objectives was sure to be a major challenge. The SFA states that high population growth and inadequate access to, and the poor quality of, primary education have led to the growing numbers of illiterates in Pakistan. Those that did not finish school or never attended later became illiterate adults. "There is a backlog of adults who are illiterate. We just can't forget them as they will not be able to reach their full potential," Breines maintained. Investment in education can lead to a reduction in population growth and also impacts on health, Breines said, adding that the Ministry of Education had received the guidelines in a very positive manner and that she hoped the guidelines would be presented in parliament. "People who are literate are able to participate more directly in the democratic process," she added. "We have a very detailed literacy programme. We are currently promoting early childhood education and literacy, and primary school education. We have also established literacy centers throughout Pakistan" Mangrio said. "The government's budget has earmarked literacy this year, which is very encouraging," Breines remarked, as she acknowledged Education Minister Zobaida Jalal's efforts, saying that it had been a privilege for UNESCO to work with such a competent and constructive minister. "All UN agencies, bilateral and NGO's need to come in as partners in a coherent and coordinated manner," Breines stressed.