Tag: sustainability

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Assessing learning achievements and development impact: Ghana’s national functional literacy program

Author: Aya Aoki, PhD candidate, Tokyo Institute of Technology

Edition: Volume 45, Number 1, April 2005

Summary: This paper summarises findings and lessons from a recently conducted evaluation of an adult functional literacy program in Ghana. The study attempted to assess learners’ literacy and numeracy skills, and ascertain participants’ knowledge and skills in various development aspects as well as their impact. The literacy and numeracy skills assessment exercise suggested that the learners are gaining significant reading skills and modest numeracy skills, while achievements in writing appear to remain weak. The findings also highlight the question of sustainability of these skills, which implies a need for improvements in post-literacy programs. The assessment demonstrated significant impact of the program on various areas of development. In particular, the study revealed the program’s strong impact on learners’ and their children’s education and livelihood activities. In addition, the learners gained knowledge and skills in health, environment and civic awareness.

Keywords: adult, functional literacy, numeracy, sustainability, post-literacy

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Learning to be drier: a case study of adult and community learning in the Australian Riverland

Author/s: Mike Brown & Christine Schulz

Edition: Volume 49, Number 3, November 2009

Summary: This article explores the adult and community learning associated with ‘learning to be drier’ in the Riverland region of South Australia. Communities in the Riverland are currently adjusting and making changes to their understandings and practices as part of learning to live with less water. The analysis of adult and community learning derived from this research identified six different forms of learning. These are, learning to produce, learning to be efficient, learning to survive, learning to live with uncertainty, learning to be sustainable and learning to share. These forms of learning do not occur in isolation and separately from each other but to the contrary are occurring simultaneously with and alongside each other. Further, it is argued that the people and communities in the Riverland, through learning to live with the effects of climate change and less water, are at the forefront of learning to be drier.

Keywords: sustainability, climate change, drought, adult and community learning

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 49_3. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.