Word: unesco
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Finally, strapped by a hard-pressed economy, Indonesia has taken the plight of Borobudur to the United Nations, arguing that a "monument to all mankind" is at stake. After a searching survey, UNESCO's Bernard Groslier, conservator of Angkor Wat, and Dutch Hydrologist Caesar Voute have now agreed, and next month will recommend a $3,000,000, seven-year restoration program. Indonesians see prompt UNESCO aid as their only hope. "The balance now is precarious," warns one Indonesian archaeologist. "The walls of Borobudur could fall down today, and they could fall down in 20 years...
...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...
...UNESCO has only a few centers in each country. It does not pretend it will alphabetize the country. This is the "lightening" approach. More than anything, it aims at 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...
...UNESCO obviates these difficulties by refusing to enter a country that does not have a written language. Another criticism levelled at the organization is that by taking on only the most educable in any country, it is not really addressing itself to the most difficult problems of a successful illiteracy campaign...
Last fall, at a small ceremony in Paris, UNESCO awarded its annual prize for combatting illiteracy to a young Tanzanian girl from the Tabora Girls School. At the initiative of the Headmistress, a Swede, the pupils had undertaken to teach illiterates in the area. It is as unlikely that present programs will wipe out illiteracy in the rest of the world, as that these girls will alphabetize Tanzania. The projects are driving home the twin lesson of the failures of the last 15 years--the magnitude of the problems and the magnitude of the resources that will have...