Word: reade
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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...world's population was illiterate in 1950, in 1960 the figure was forty per cent. But the statistics are far from encouraging, for in absolute figures the number of illiterates increases by 25 to 30 million every year. There are now about 800 million who do not read or write at even the most elementary level...
...obviously difficult to make the first steps toward industrialization or implement more efficient agricultural techniques if a majority of the adult population can not read. "We just can not afford to write off the present generation," says Tanzania's President Nvrere, himself a teacher before he became a politician. "Those who are 15 today [compulsory schooling ends at 15] may still be members of the working population in the year 2000. Furthermore, the decisions affecting the future of the country-- its social structure, economy and politics--are not taken by children, whether they have gone to school...
...UNESCO projects use a different tactic for "motivating" their students. Instructors play on what they call "the keeping-up-with-the-Joneses syndrome." For instance, Farmer A learns to read so that he can learn how to use the bag of fertilizer the government has provided. The fertilizer doubles the autumn crop. Farmer B sees that his neighbor is getting more fruits for the same amount of labor. Farmer B determines he will learn how to read. The lesson is simple, the UN's experts conclude: give a man some reason to learn, and he will not only learn...
This approach has led to what is known in the jargon as "functional literacy." The literacy campaign focuses on people who will benefit most from knowing how to read. Schools are established either in growing industrial centers or in areas where new agricultural techniques are being tried...
...developing the most effective ways of teaching illiterates. The language problem enormously complicates the task. In Tanzania, most of the tribes speak or understand Swahili, a written language, but in Mali the predominant language, Bambara, has not yet been transcribed. Also, there are strong arguments for teaching people to read in either English or French, since few bags of fertilizer come with instructions in Bambara...