The UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) has published a research study titled “Literacy and Women’s Empowerment: Stories Of Success And Inspiration” in contribution to the International Literacy Day on 8 September 2013.

The study describes promising approaches to developing literacy and learning for women, who are the majority of the world’s non-literate adults. Key success factors are identified to outline concrete recommendations on how to achieve literacy and empowerment of women...

Global National Qualifications Framework Inventory - Prepared for ASEM Education Ministers Conference , Kuala Lumpur, 13-14 May 2013 (ASEMME 4)

‘This glossary will support policymakers, researchers and practitioners involved in youth and adult education in Latin America and other Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries and can lead to a new way of developing youth and adult education in these countries,’ commented Arne Carlsen, Director of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning.

A pioneer project has developed a Spanish and Portuguese glossary with new terms and concepts in lifelong learning. The glossary is intended to be used in youth and adult education in Latin...

The global mid-term evaluation report on UNESCO’s Literacy Initiative for Empowerment (LIFE, 2006-2015), produced by UIL on the basis of national and regional mid-term evaluation processes and reports, is now available online. It seeks to contribute to the effective implementation of the initiative through to 2015.

The report shows mixed results with regard to progress in literacy. The majority of the 35 LIFE countries recorded an increase in adult literacy rates – by on average 3.1 percentage points compared to the global average of 1.9 percentage points over the...

The book gives an account of the research conducted in the independent evaluation of the New Opportunities Initiative (NOI), one of the largest Portuguese governmental programmes in recent decades to upgrade qualifications. The NOI demonstrates that the recognition of non-formal and informal learning is crucial in order to improve the competences needed in our societies today. This book reflects on the NOI and its potential for societies in Europe and the rest of the world.

The publication is based on a solid foundation of empirical evidence, encompassing seven papers subjected...

UIL and ADEA present the results of a comprehensive stocktaking research project that assesses the experiences of mother tongue and bilingual formal and non-formal education in 25 sub-Saharan African countries as well as the creation of multilingual literate environments.

The authors of the study highlight that improvements in educational quality and learning outcomes derive from strong multilingual language models and socio-culturally relevant curricula which use African languages as media of instruction for at least six years. Further, they make the case that locally-based...

Adult education is now considered a mainstream academic discipline in several African countries, and its importance in today’s knowledge and “ideas” economies is growing steadily. It is provided by organisations such as public universities, training colleges, corporate universities and employers. The successful operation of educational organisations requires sound leadership and management. Management of Adult Education Organisations in Africa examines African perspectives of managerial leadership, highlighting the importance of management in the design and effective...

Since literacy is a fundamental right for all, how can one explain that 62 per cent of women in Africa are denied the right to literacy? How can current trends be changed to prevent nearly 800 million adults, among whom a high proportion of women are still illiterate in 2015?

While there is a willingness on the part of stakeholders to meet international commitments on gender equality and the empowerment of women, efforts remain insufficient in light of the scale of the challenge.UIL is addressing this issue through capacity building for literacy and gender research. It has adopted...

This book is an outcome of the Shanghai International Forum on Lifelong Learning co-organised by UNESCO, the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government, the Chinese Society of Educational Development Strategy and the Chinese National Commission for UNESCO. The Forum took place in Shanghai during the World Expo 2010, from 19 to 21 May.

The 24 papers collected here document the debates and discussions led by experts from across the world. The papers are grouped into five themes, recounting first how lifelong learning has evolved conceptually and then how policy has developed in its...

In a 1953 landmark publication, UNESCO underscored the importance of educating children in their mother-tongue (UNESCO, 1953). Yet, more than 50 years since the first UNESCO statement, and despite a plethora of books, articles, numerous conventions, declarations and recommendations addressing this issue, including a range of conclusive experiments of using local languages in education and polity, most African countries continue to use the former colonial language as the primary language of instruction and governance. This advocacy brief seeks to show the pivotal role of languages in...