Return-Path: <nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.9.3/8.9.0.Beta5/980425bjb) with SMTP id QAA08189; Thu, 29 Jun 2000 16:18:02 -0400 (EDT) Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2000 16:18:02 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <200006292015.NAA21061@snipe.prod.itd.earthlink.net> Errors-To: alcrsb@langate.gsu.edu Reply-To: nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "Ann Woody" <annwoody@earthlink.net> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-WOMENLIT:850] Re: UNESCO, Women and Literacy X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Content-type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express Macintosh Edition - 4.5 (0410) Status: O Content-Length: 11757 Lines: 262 Why is this an either/or question? Why can't assmimlation and empowerment go hand-in-hand? I think sometimes we can get too esoteric, defining this term and looking too hard at that one. While doing so, we miss the whole point. In my view, two of the results of literacy -- economic stability and empowerment/sense of worth--are vitally important. They need to co-exist and to be encouraged, not analyzed to see whether some COUNTRY is going to benefit. That's another issue and, when you think about it, one which presents the picture that a stable country with empowered citizens may well be a country which provides the best environment for those citizens. How could this be bad? ---------- >From: Esther Prins <esp10@cornell.edu> >To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov> >Subject: [NIFL-WOMENLIT:849] Re: UNESCO, Women and Literacy >Date: Thu, Jun 29, 2000, 2:16 PM > > --=====================_15282502==_.ALT > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed > > I agree with your (Suzanne's) comments. I wholeheartedly affirm the > necessity and importance of the UNESCO initiative and other efforts to > improve women and girls' access to and benefit from education. However, I > see an inherent danger in the "teach the mother to reach the child" > approach--that is, it may treat women as a means to a particular, usually > economic, end. That end is typically labeled "development," as defined in > Western terms: economic growth, GDP, household income, or other indicators > that women, the poor, and other marginalized groups and individuals may or > may not equate with their vision of the "good life." > > I think we need to consider very carefully the ends for which we engage in > women's literacy initiatives. Is women's literacy valuable because it makes > women and their families more productive members of society, thereby > strengthening the national economy and contributing to development? Or do > we engage in this work because women have inherent dignity and therefore > ought to have a greater voice in making the decisions that affect their > lives? Is literacy fundamentally a tool of assimilation or empowerment? > > I hope that these observations and questions will help us to reflect on > what we envision as the ultimate purpose (telos) of women's literacy > initiatives, and the promises and dangers of our particular vision. > > Esther Prins > > At 01:42 PM 06/29/2000 -0400, you wrote: >>This UNESCO initiative is very important in its encouragement and valuing of >>work with and for women. I wonder about the "teach the mother reach the >>child" approach though. After all, the African proverb is: "It takes a >>village to raise a child", not "It takes a woman to raise a child." I hope >>that the broader context of women's lives are taken into account in these >>literacy initiatives and prize giving. More than direct mother-child >>relationships, the involvement of fathers and extended families, the roles >>and attitudes of community leaders and community organizations and the >>impact of both local and global trade policies need to be taken into account >>in efforts to education women and girls. >> >>Really enjoyed Nurse Pat and the discussion she generated. >> >>Suzanne Smythe >>Vancouver, BC >> >>----- Original Message ----- >>From: Daphne Greenberg <ALCDGG@langate.gsu.edu> >>To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov> >>Sent: Thursday, June 29, 2000 10:27 AM >>Subject: [NIFL-WOMENLIT:846] UNESCO, Women and Literacy >> >> >> > I thought that some of you may be interested in the following email that >>Tom Sticht sent me: >> > Daphne: >> > I will be back at UNESCO in Paris July 22-28, 2000 for my 22nd year as a >>member of the International Literacy Jury that selects UNESCO's literacy >> > prizes awarded each year on September 8. During all these years, in >>keeping with UNESCO's education policies, the Jury members have >> > encouraged women's literacy by paying particular attention to how programs >>submitted for prizes have involved the literacy development of women and >>girls. >> > After the first of the year I will start work on a report of UNESCO's >>International Reading Association Literacy Awards and how they have >>encouraged what I call "multiplier effects" of literacy, with a focus on the >>intergenerational transfer of literacy and education for children that arise >>from investments in women's literacy education. From a policy >> > perspective, the concept of getting multiple returns to investment in >>women's education has been a strong argument for investments in family >> > literacy (Teach the Mother and Reach the Child is the title of a report >>for UNESCO that Barbara McDonald and I wrote for UNESCO in 1991) and >> > other programs that tend to engage women at rates beyond what typical >>adult programs may accomplish. But with an estimated 1,000,000,000 adult >>illiterates in the world and two-thirds of them women, we clearly have a >>long, long way to go before women achieve their universal right to >> > literacy. Namtip's report gives insights from Africa about this global >>struggle for women's literacy. >> > Go to the following web site for UNESCO information about women, >> > literacy and violence by Namtip Aksornkool of UNESCO: >> > http://www.unesco.org/education/educprog/literacy/index.html >> > >> > >> > Daphne Greenberg >> > Center for the Study of Adult Literacy >> > Georgia State University >> > University Plaza >> > Atlanta, GA 30303-3083 >> > Fax: 404-651-1415 >> > Ph: 404-651-0400 >> > E-mail: alcdgg@langate.gsu.edu >> > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > Esther Prins, Ph.D. Student in Adult Education > Graduate Research Assistant, Institute for Community College Development > Department of Education, Kennedy Hall > Cornell University > Ithaca, NY 14853 > Phone (office): 607-255-0290 > Phone (home): 607-272-7165 > Fax: 607-255-7905 > --=====================_15282502==_.ALT > Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" > > <html> > I agree with your (Suzanne's) comments. I wholeheartedly affirm the > necessity and importance of the UNESCO initiative and other efforts to > improve women and girls' access to and benefit from education. However, I > see an inherent danger in the "teach the mother to reach the > child" approach--that is, it may treat women as a means to a > particular, usually economic, end. That end is typically labeled > "development," as defined in Western terms: economic growth, > GDP, household income, or other indicators that women, the poor, and > other marginalized groups and individuals may or may not equate with > their vision of the "good life."<br> > <br> > I think we need to consider very carefully the ends for which we engage > in women's literacy initiatives. Is women's literacy valuable because it > makes women and their families more productive members of society, > thereby strengthening the national economy and contributing to > development? Or do we engage in this work <i>because</i> women have > inherent dignity and therefore ought to have a greater voice in making > the decisions that affect their lives? Is literacy fundamentally a tool > of assimilation or empowerment?<br> > <br> > I hope that these observations and questions will help us to reflect on > what we envision as the ultimate purpose (telos) of women's literacy > initiatives, and the promises and dangers of our particular vision.<br> > <br> > Esther Prins<br> > <br> > At 01:42 PM 06/29/2000 -0400, you wrote:<br> > <blockquote type=cite cite>This UNESCO initiative is very important in > its encouragement and valuing of<br> > work with and for women. I wonder about the "teach the mother reach > the<br> > child" approach though. After all, the African proverb is: "It > takes a<br> > village to raise a child", not "It takes a woman to raise a > child." I hope<br> > that the broader context of women's lives are taken into account in > these<br> > literacy initiatives and prize giving. More than direct > mother-child<br> > relationships, the involvement of fathers and extended families, the > roles<br> > and attitudes of community leaders and community organizations and > the<br> > impact of both local and global trade policies need to be taken into > account<br> > in efforts to education women and girls.<br> > <br> > Really enjoyed Nurse Pat and the discussion she generated.<br> > <br> > Suzanne Smythe<br> > Vancouver, BC<br> > <br> > ----- Original Message -----<br> > From: Daphne Greenberg <ALCDGG@langate.gsu.edu><br> > To: Multiple recipients of list > <nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov><br> > Sent: Thursday, June 29, 2000 10:27 AM<br> > Subject: [NIFL-WOMENLIT:846] UNESCO, Women and Literacy<br> > <br> > <br> > > I thought that some of you may be interested in the following email > that<br> > Tom Sticht sent me:<br> > > Daphne:<br> > > I will be back at UNESCO in Paris July 22-28, 2000 for my 22nd year > as a<br> > member of the International Literacy Jury that selects UNESCO's > literacy<br> > > prizes awarded each year on September 8. During all these years, > in<br> > keeping with UNESCO's education policies, the Jury members have<br> > > encouraged women's literacy by paying particular attention to how > programs<br> > submitted for prizes have involved the literacy development of women > and<br> > girls.<br> > > After the first of the year I will start work on a report of > UNESCO's<br> > International Reading Association Literacy Awards and how they have<br> > encouraged what I call "multiplier effects" of literacy, with a > focus on the<br> > intergenerational transfer of literacy and education for children that > arise<br> > from investments in women's literacy education. From a policy<br> > > perspective, the concept of getting multiple returns to investment > in<br> > women's education has been a strong argument for investments in > family<br> > > literacy (Teach the Mother and Reach the Child is the title of a > report<br> > for UNESCO that Barbara McDonald and I wrote for UNESCO in 1991) > and<br> > > other programs that tend to engage women at rates beyond what > typical<br> > adult programs may accomplish. But with an estimated 1,000,000,000 > adult<br> > illiterates in the world and two-thirds of them women, we clearly have > a<br> > long, long way to go before women achieve their universal right to<br> > > literacy. Namtip's report gives insights from Africa about this > global<br> > struggle for women's literacy.<br> > > Go to the following web site for UNESCO information about > women,<br> > > literacy and violence by Namtip Aksornkool of UNESCO:<br> > > > <a href="http://www.unesco.org/education/educprog/literacy/index.html" > eudora="autourl">http://www.unesco.org/education/educprog/literacy/index.htm l</a><br> > > ><br> > ><br> > > Daphne Greenberg<br> > > Center for the Study of Adult Literacy<br> > > Georgia State University<br> > > University Plaza<br> > > Atlanta, GA 30303-3083<br> > > Fax: 404-651-1415<br> > > Ph: 404-651-0400<br> > > E-mail: alcdgg@langate.gsu.edu<br> > ></blockquote><br> > <br> > <div>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</div> > <div>Esther Prins, Ph.D. Student in Adult Education</div> > <div>Graduate Research Assistant, Institute for Community College > Development</div> > <div>Department of Education, Kennedy Hall</div> > <div>Cornell University</div> > <div>Ithaca, NY 14853</div> > <div>Phone (office): 607-255-0290</div> > <div>Phone (home): 607-272-7165</div> > Fax: 607-255-7905 > </html> > > --=====================_15282502==_.ALT-- > >
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