Making large-scale literacy campaigns and programmes work - UIL Policy Brief 5

The UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) has just published its fifth policy brief, entitled Making Large-Scale Literacy Campaigns and Programmes Work. The brief provides policymakers with a set of recommendations based on an analysis of adult literacy campaigns and programmes that took place around the world between 2000 and 2014. Despite a resurgence in the popularity of literacy campaigns as a means of mobilizing political will, resources and people, the analysis finds that most large-scale campaigns failed to achieve their overly ambitious targets. The policy brief’s key message is therefore that the literacy challenge needs to be addressed from a lifelong learning perspective. This will help policymakers to achieve the literacy target of the new global education agenda, Education 2030. Taking into account the complexity of the literacy task ahead, the policy brief recommends linking literacy campaigns to social change and mobilization; ensuring adequate investment; integrating literacy into holistic learning systems; making systematic use of technology; and improving the quality of literacy data.