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AUTHOR Van Heerden, Gwyneth; And Others TITLE Empowering Adults through Literacy Education inSouth Africa: Activities at the University ofNatal at . REPORT NO ISSN-1016-3435 PUB DATE 91 NOTE 8p.; NU Focus is published by the Universityof Natal. AVAILABLE FROMPublic Affairs Department, University ofNatal, P.O. Box 375, Pietermaritzburg 3200, . PUB TYPE Journal Articles (080) Information Analyses (070) JOURNAL CIT NU Focus; v2 n3 p29-37 Win 1991

EDRS PRICE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Adult Basic Education; *Adult Literacy; *African Languages; Blacks; *English (Second Language); Foreign Countries; Illiteracy; LiteracyEducation; Second Language Instruction; Second Language Learning; Uncommonly Taught Languages IDENTIFIERS Empowerment; *South Africa; University of Natal (South Africa); Zulu

ABSTRACT Five brief articles froma journal published by the Public Affairs Department of the Universityof Natal, South Africa, discuss issues related to empoweringadults through literacy education in that country. "Meeting Needs" (Gwynethvan Heerden) describes the extent and nature of adultilliteracy in South Africa and the activities of the literacysupport service of the Center for Adult Education at the University ofNatal. "Read for Life" (Tania Spencer) describes acourse aimed at teaching adults how to read and write in Zulu using the learning/experiencemethod. "A Leg to Stand On" (Vis Naidoo) presents the Learnwith Echo project, which provides distance basic adult educational materialfor a black undereducated readership. "Meeting Needs" (Vis Naidoo)describes the goals and philosophy of the Center for Adult Education'sCommunity Development Education and Training Programme. "Offthe Shelf" (Tania Spencer) describes a special library establishedby the University of Natal's Department of Information Studies and NatalSociety Library, which is designed to facilitate community andindividual empowerment. (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse on Literacy Education) (LET)

*********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRSare the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** C74:, EMPOWERING ADULTS THROUGH LITERACY EDUCATION IN SOUTH AFRICA: ACTIVITIES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NATAL AT PIETERMARITZBURG

"Meeting Needs" by Gwyneth van Heerden "Read for Life" by Tania Spencer "A leg to stand on" by Vis Naidoo "Meeting needs" by Vis Naidoo "Off the shelf" by Tania Spencer

Articles from Nu Focus, Published by the Public Affairs Department, University of Natal, P.O. Box 375, Pietermaritzburg 3200, South Africa. (ISSN 1016-3425)

Articles may be reprinted with acknowledgement.

EDUCATION U.S. DEPARTMENT OFand improvement PEPMSJ.3.,. Office of Educat.onai Research BEE'. CipA"NED BY RESOURCES INFORMATION EOU ATIONALCENTER (ERIC) been reproducedas his document has or organaatron receuved from the person orrgrnating rt. have been madeto improve C Minor changes reproduchon Quaid,/ In this dOCu. Pomtsol new or opmions staled othc.al necessanty represent TC; TAE EDuC.A.T.ira-C, aESG_ 'ES men(donot NPC.IPY4T19., EP'C OERI position Or 0011Cy

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If you're reading this. there'ssomething you should know. Around60% of your fellow South Africans are unableto. That's the estimate of illiteracyin English. Mother-tongue illiteracyis almost as bad: theestimate here. described by some expertsas conservative, is 40%. Not being ableto read and write prevents millionsof adult South Africans fromfulfilling their own potential and from participatingin the manifold enrichmentsof the written word. And for as many literateand semi-literate people, there'sanother problem: where to find the writteninformation and related skillsnecessary for full individual and communityempowerment. The stories whichfollow show something of the work beingdone in these vitally importantfields by a handful of dedicated people on the University'sPietermaritzburgcampus.

PI;r11 3 BEST i44 NU FOCUS ON IL LITERACY 29 Illiteracy Meeting needs

How the Centre for Adult Education contributes to adult literacy around Pietermaritzburg

ADULT illiteracy is definitely write in Zulu and English. trying to contribute in each of these a massive problem in South Both Zulu and English literacy are areas through the Centre's Adult Basic Africa, but one long neglected important. There may be a temptation Education Programme. Components by leaders, politicians, educators and to dismiss Zulu mother-tongue liter-of the programme include the Echo policy makers. Perhaps due to the fil- acy, but experienced literacy workers project which provides distance edu- tering effects of the 1990 United Na- consistently say that it is faster and cation materials for literacy and post- tions International Literacy year cam- more effective for completely illiter- literacy support (see page 34), and an paign, and the changing political mood ate people to learn to read and write in Adult Literacy Support service. in the country with increasing empha- their mother-tongue, and to learn The Adult Literacy Support service sis on transformation and development, English at a later stage. Unlike chil- functions in the following ways: learn- the problem of adult illiteracy has fi- dren, adults are already "immersed" in ers and potential learners are informed nally begun to feature in the media and their mother tongue and the phonetic of existing literacy classes in the "Learn

on the agendas of persons of influence. spelling and syllabic structure of Zulu. with Echo" educational supplement, During the second half of 1990, the encouragesrelativelyfastliteracy and a newsletter is sent to teachers and Centre for Adult Education on the acquisition, compared to the complex interested people on all aspects of lit- Pietermaritzburg campus conducted a structures of English. eracy work. Literacy and easy reading survey of non-formal education in the Adult learners often cite reading and materials, from literacy organisations Pietermaritzburg region. Part of thewriting letters as strong motives for all over South Africa, are kept at the project was to identify the most urgent attending literacy classes, and these Centre and sold to local practitioners educational needs in the local commu- intense and personal benefits of Zulu at cost. Consultancy advice is offered nity. Adult illiteracy emerged as an literacy are obvious in the context of about setting up learning groups, train- overwhelming problem for individu- migrant labour, great distances in the ing, methods, materials and specific als, community structures, develop- country and lack of telephone facili- problems in literacy work. ment workers, trade unions, employ- ties for many people. Ongoing research is conducted on ers and trainers. They all gave ex- Literacy work is seldom simply teach- the scale of illiteracy and literacy work amples of how limitations in basicing reading and writing, but may in- in this region. Later this year, the Centre skillslike literacy, numeracy and elude second or third language instruc- is hoping to organise teacher training Englishlanguagecommunication tion, numeracy, oral communication, for groups of interested people from hampered the progress of their particu- post-literacy skills like alphabetical different organisations around Pieter- lar organisation, while individuals spoke order, instruction on administrative maritzburg. of their illiteracy in the context ofconventions like always signing one's The dominance of only two languages humiliation and daily struggle. name the same way, and basic infor- in this region, English and Zulu, is a Statistics on the scale of adult illiter- mation on how a modern economy great advantage to adult literacy work acy are not completely reliable. A works in order to understand things compared to other areas in South Af- conservative estimate is that at least like income tax, sales tax and infla- rica. In a city like Johannesburg, learn- 40% of black adults in South Africa tion. ers in one literacy class may come cannot read and write in their first The non-formal education research from different language groups, in- language. Considering that in order to showed that in 1990 only about 300 cluding Zulu, South Sotho, North So- function as a literate person in South (0,3%) of the 100 000 illiterate adults tho, Xhosa and Setswana, while Afri- Africa (in other words be able to use an around Pietermaritzburg were attend- kaans is often the language of the autobank, read a newspaper, fill in ing literacy classes. Facilities for adult workplace. forms, read a job card at work) it is literacy learners are limited and iso- This local advantage should be ex- necessary to read and write in an offi- lated, and no regional programme exists. ploited, and hopefully the aim of the cial language as well, the scale ofCommon problems in literacy work United Nations to make the 1990s a functional illiteracy is more likely about are the lack of information, teaching decade of literacy will be realised in 70%. Around Pietermaritzburg itis and learning materials suitable for the Pietermaritzburg region, where the estimated that about half the black adults, teacher training, and easy to need and the potential certainly exist.11 adult population can read and write in read post-literacy material. Gwyneth van Ileerden (Literacy Zulu, and only about 30% can read and The Centre for Adult Education is Support Co-ordinator, CAE) 30 NU FOCUS ON ILLITERACY 4 Illiteracy Read for life

ACOURSE aimed at teachingadults how to read and write in Zulu transpired to be as much a lesson in urban living, as it was a lesson in literacy. Designed for the unskilled and semi-skilled workers on the Pietermaritzburg campus, the course was initiated in 1990 by the Language and Reading Centre at the Uni- versity's request. The facilitators of the pro- Sandy Land (left) ject, Sandy Land and Mary and Mary Godlonton, deal with people Godlonton who range in age from 20 years to 60, and varied from those who had genuinely never written proficiency in reading and writing in supervisors to agree to release workers a word, to those who had but denied Zulu has been attained are the students for classes. they had, such was their lack of confi- taught English which, said Land, is Literacy has, however, a price that dence. what they all seem to want. the facilitators arc not shy of. The The course eschews rote-learning, Because the classes are small, the collision of cultures that happens when and is centred rather on the learning/ facilitators are able to work with the a Zulu-speaking person learns written experience method in which the work- students on a one to one basis. "The English is something they are sensitive ers generate the text they work on. dilemma is always: when do you con- to. Describing it anecdotally, they give "We try to concentrate on exercises sider people to have become literate, the example of one of their students that are real to them," said Land and when do you leave them? It's not an who was dissuaded from starting his Godlonton. easy decision," said Godlonton. telegram with the words "Manje-ke Exercises include reading newspa- Land cautioned that literacy classes mfowethu" (Now, my brother). "This pers, filling in building society forms; were not a panacea for the disenfran- is what is lost in a society when mes- finding numbers in the telephone di- chised worker. A higher level of liter- sages are borne not by people coming rectory, or even navigating hire pur- acy does not guarantee a better job; from those who sent them, but emerge chase agreements. Tours of the local neither does it mean that becauseinstead from machines." post office are an integral part of the workers can now sign hire purchase Said Land: "Real empowerment literacy course. Apart from the cam- agreements, that they are equipped to would entail teaching oral English. pus workers, the course is also open to do so without some guidance. While we would never suggest that workers from the Faculty of Agricul- "We have found that after as many literacy be withheld from people who ture farm and the Botanical Gardens, as 20 sessions, only those who had believe they need it, we would like to as well as a domestic worker and a few arrived with a fair reading ability weresuggest that protagonists of literacy gardeners. able to cope with newspaper text on courses are cognizant of the price paid "Our project was intended to be a the level necessary for real apprecia- by at least some of their proteges." Universitycoursetotallywithout tion of what is communicated." Despite these constraints, Land and agenda. We didn't want to teach liter- Another difficulty with the project is Godlonton's belief in the project was acy because it was some sort of 'up- that although it was set up at the Uni- reflected in how obviously pleased grading' operation for either religious, versity's request, both Land and Godlon- they were at the "exciting" progress political or industrial purposes." ton expressed dissatisfaction at themade by one of their students that Only when a reasonable level of reluctance of some lower management afternoon. ¶ Tania Spencer

NU FOCUS ON ILLITERACY31 Illiteracy A legto standon THE "Learn with Echo" project conducts research on the materials and Company then prints and distributes is a 4-page weekly educational their use. The team consists of a writer, the supplement. About 48 000 copies supplement which appears in a layout and design person, an admin- are put out by every Thurs- the Echo newspaper, itself a weekly istrator/co-ordinator and an illustrator. day of which 25 000 copies are distrib- supplement of The Natal Witness, aOther writers are commissioned in uted free in local and Natal Midlands privately-owned English-language specialised fields of knowledge from townships. A further 23 000 copies are newspaper published daily in Pieter- both within the University and outside. sold inside The Natal Witness. Tern - maritzburg. But the Centre for Adult Education baletu's role has been to receive and The project, which started publica- is not the only leg upon which the monitor most of the current "Learn tion in September 1990, aims to pro-"Learn with Echo" stands. Once the with Echo" funds. vide distance basic adult educational pages are copy-ready they are given a Funding for "Learn with Echo" conies material for a black under- educated final edit by a team made up of repre- from the Canadian Embassy and readership who are unlikely to have sentatives from the Witness Echo, USAID. The Canadians came forward further opportunities for formal educa- Tembaletu CommunityEducation with an initial amount to get the pro- tion. It aims to provide useful, relevant Centre ane the "Learn with Echo" ject started, and the Americans keep knowledge for adults, using pedagogi- project. T.Natal Witness Publishing "Learn with Echo" rolling. cally challenging methods to help develop a critical consciousness in readers. It also aims to develop fluency in English. In short, the project aims to A juin, Ube C.." fur help empower the powerless. Adult Manson l'eseCaletu Col:mune, Topics that have been covered in the Cducution Centr, supplement thus far include Basic Lit- eracy in Zulu and English, Emergency

First Aid, Primary Health Care, Help- nian... and alin/saeS 'on Cnd ing Children to Start School and to w book Than yr. can Read, Study Skills, a Regional 'History .,% of Natal and Zululand, Life Skills and Easy Reading and short stories. New themes and topics will be dealt with as the supplement develops. Many peepte read the newspapers so you must Who is the target readership? The answer the advert supplement is aimed mainly at black readers who are functionally literate and who have had a bare minimum of formal schooling. It is estimated that this includes about 60% of the black population in this region, many of whom have no form al education at all. (About 34% of the black population in this region are functionally illiterate.) Many of the readers are also unemployed. "Learn with Echo" is produced at the Centre for Adult Education, a non- state subsidised department of the University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, and is part of the Centre for Adult Edu- cation's Adult Basic Education Pro- gramme (Abe). Support for adult liter- acy is seen as one of the major goals of the Abe programme. The project employs 4 full-time people and 1 part-time person. This team produces the supplement and 34 NU FOCUS ON ILLITERACY g BEST COPY AVAILABLE Illiteracy

"In short, the project aims to helpempower the powerless."

The "Learn with Echo" supplement page layout with sufficient white space Echo" and how it is used. Content and aims at being "user friendly". The layout to rest the eye. design need to be better informed by design of the pages avoids over sophis- English is a second language for and more sensitive to the users' needs. tication. This is to ensure that readers most of the readers. Writers therefore Such a survey should also help us find can cope with the level of visual liter- aim at about a standard 5 or 6 second ways to broaden the readership. An- acy. The font used is larger than that language reading level. However, the other area of research is that of media- found in regular newspapers. Only the language level does vary with the tion in distance education. The publi- most readable fonts are chosen to fa- content. Zulu is used selectively. Frohl cation address es a mediator (a literacy cilitate the needs of the readership. time to time reader response is encour- teacher, helper or a parent), on the The content is supported by the ample aged through competitions and letter- literacy page and the "Ukufunda use of illustrations. The illustrative writing. ekhaya" children's page. Research needs style is informed by research that has The project does not stop at materi- to be done to evaluate how effective been done into visual literacy, and it als production. Appropriate research this method is. Research is also re- avoids use of complex western con- methods are being explored. An exten- quired into the language level as well ventions. These factors lend themselves sive readership survey has been planned as the appropriate usage of English or to the production of an unthreatening to establish who reads the "Learn with Zulu. 11 Vis Naidoo Meeting needs

THE Centre for Adult Educa- 'Training of Community Trainers/Edu- commission it to run various work- tion has developed its Com- cators' course. The focus here was on shops on the differing skills required munity Development Educa- training community educators who by the various organisations. tion and Training Programme (CDETP) themselves could be involved in edu- These components of the CDETP as a result of extensive consultations cating others. run by the Centre for Adult Education with organisations and individuals on This year the Programme has changed (UNP) are seen as crucial by the staff the need for community education to with only the 'Training of Community of the Centre for the development of empower people. Educatorsarainers' course being part- well-organised and empowered com- As a result of these consultations, time for the year. A media training m,Inity organisations and trade unions. the Programme concentrates on devel- course has also been developed which The Centre also offers computer lit- oping various education and training consists of a series of workshops on eracy courses through its Clip (com- courses. These are aimed at providing different aspects of media. Some of puter literacy programme) project. The skills to members of community and these include press relations, making courses are designed to introduce welfare organisations, trade unions and media work for your organisation, members of community projects to non-governmental organisations and design and layout, poster and banner computers and word processing pack- projects. making, writing and editing skills, and ages, help in the establishment of their The Centre sees the development ofusing media for meetings. computer systems and offer a consul- organisations within the community as A second series of workshops has tancy service for their computer prob- crucially important. As a proactive been developed which focuses on vari- lems. department within the University, it ous organisational skills that are cru- Clip's main objectives are to moni- is are engaged in the training of mem- cial to running an effective, efficient tor the information processing, data- bers of these organisations in the vari- and democratic organisation. These base, social research and computerisa- ous skills that are needed to effectively workshops include basic bookkeep- tion needs of community and worker- and efficiently run them. The CDETP ing, writing project proposals, design- based organisations, to help in the set- consisted of two part -time year courses ing educational events, evaluations, ting up of appropriate computer facili- for 1990. The first was the 'Project writing minutes and reports, filing, ties for such organisations, and toas- Management Course'. This looked at chairing meetings, and so on. sist in the training of people touse such the skills that are needed to run a com- The CDETP is also available to facilities on as wide and populara munity project. The second was the organisations and projects which can basis as possible. 11 Vis Naidoo

NU FOCUS ON ILLITERACY 35 7 11111.01 "The process of self-help relies on access to information."

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Christine Stilwell (left) and Ann Brann Off the shelf

MOST people do not use stan- of the PRCL in the city centre) could collections of information on Aids in dard public libraries. These be a solid foundation on which to build." South Africa, and is custodian of Earth libraries are either inacces- Ann Brann, the Resource Centre Life's increasingly used data base. sible or do not have a stock of books librarian, added that the big libraries in The PRCL is used by a variety of relevant to the experience of many the City (the University of Natal Li- people: social workers from the pris- communitites. brary, the Natal Society Library, and ons, who need to know how to deal Having realised the importance of the Natal Provincial Library Services) with rapists coping with aggression making libraries accessible to all, the had been extremely supportive of the and stress; teachers researching child University's Department of Informa- PRCL. "The close co-operation be- abuse; students and pupils researching tion Studies and the Natal Society tween these big libraries and commu- projects; private people who are deal- Library established the Pietermaritzburg nity resource centres is a very impor- ing with stress, parenting problems, Resource Centre Library (PRCL) in tant development," she said. marriage, illness, or rape. 1987. The initiative from within the The initial aim of the PRCL was to In more formal education, the PRCL University was born of the feeling that provide information to the affiliated provides an experimental library for they the Department itself and li- welfare organisations, but once thethe advanced diploma students in the braries in general were only reach- needs of various communities began Department of Information Studies, ing a priviliged group of people and to emerge, Brann was given the man- where progressive ideas for library needed to be more community-oriented. date to make the resources available to initiatives can be translated into a rele- Christine Stilwell, a lecturer in the the wider Pietermaritzburg commu- vant response to communities' needs. Department, expressed it in this way. nity. Lorette Rayner, also of the De- The aim is to expose students to com- "Our intention was very definitely to partment of Information Studies, said: munity resource needs. attempt to facilitate community and"What is beginning to emerge is the Said Stilwell: "Although there is a individual empowerment. With all the initiation of a resource-sharing net- putative link between access to infor- violence in the townships, it was in- work in the area of community and mation and exercising one's political credibly hard to get to these corn m un i- primary health care information and rights, there is some support for the ties. And while it would be ideal to education." idea that the process of self-help relies establish resource centres in the town- The PRCL already offers probably on access to information." 11 ships, this initiative (the establishment one of the largest non-computerised Tania Spencer

NU FOCUS ON ILLITERACY 37

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