6th Pan African Reading For All Conference

6TH PAN AFRICAN READING FOR ALL CONFERENCE, AUGUST, 2009

RESOLUTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

On reading materials for children and adults
Resolution 1.1

All stakeholders have noted with alarm the lack of both children’s and adult reading materials.

Recommendations

All partners in the book sector (publishers, writers, governments, booksellers, readers) should cooperate in making sure that children’s and adult books are made available to learners. Given the scarcity of books for children in many schools, there is need for teachers in collaboration with students to make their own reading materials.
 

Resolution 1.2

Children’s books that are available are often written from the writers’ point of view, instead of the child’s, thus making the book hard to relate to.

Recommendation

Writers of children’s books should focus on issues and themes that are relevant to children’s interests and contexts.
 

On teaching literacy in schools
Resolution 2.1

It has been noted that the habit of reading and writing in schools has declined.

Recommendations

Governments and stakeholders should formulate national reading and writing policies and guidelines for primary education. Every primary school should formulate its own targets, teaching arrangements and regular assessments in regard to reading and writing. In order to enhance the reading habit, teachers should promote what is called the ‘healthy book cycle’, i.e, creating books, reading books and sharing books.
Teachers should be trained in the current methods of teaching the skills of reading and writing. Teachers should use proper techniques in teaching reading and writing, bringing into play student-centered approaches. Literacy lessons should be linked to every day lives of learners. Schools and parents should work together to create a print-rich environment that beckons children to be inquisitive. It is important to ensure that reading and writing remain the central preoccupation and goal for all stakeholders.
Socio-economic variables play a significant role in literacy learning and should be addressed when teaching literacy in schools.
 

On literacy and education for the visually impaired
Resolution 3.1

In matters of literacy, the problems facing the visually-impaired have not been given sufficient attention.

Recommendations

Access to reading materials in both Braille and normal orthography needs to be enhanced. More teachers for visually-impaired should be impaired. The World Union for the Blind should be made internationally known and supported for the steps it takes towards literacy for the visually-impaired.
 

On mother-tongue literacy and multilingualism
Resolution 4.1

It is noted with concern that African countries have not started implementing the Harare declaration of 1997 on the use of African languages in education and the Asmara declaration of 2000 as regards the use of African languages in the writing of African literatures.

Recommendations

African countries governments should start implementing the Harare declaration of 1997 on the use of African languages in education and the Asmara declaration of 2000 as regards the use of African languages in the writing of African literatures. Positive reinforcement of mother-tongue language use should be encouraged in schools and supported by governments through policy and action. For proper teaching of mother-tongues to students, governments should support fully the training of mother-tongue teachers.

Resolution 4.2

Research has shown that it is easier to become multilingual when beginning with literacy in one’s mother-tongue.

Recommendations

All stakeholders should work towards promoting and strengthening the teaching and learning of African mother-tongues. Schools should encourage the promotion of mother-tongue languages through use of traditional story-tellers.
 

Resolution 4.3

It has been noted that there is a weak link among book sector stakeholders as far as literacy promotion in African mother-tongues is concerned.

Recommendations

There is need for forging a strong partnership among authors, publishers, booksellers, government and readers. The book sector partnership should hold regular reading and writing competitions in African mother-tongues in order to promote them.
 

Resolution 4.4

Most children of the educated families today in African communities do not learn their mother-tongues.

Recommendations

All stakeholders should create opportunities and conditions for our children to learn their mother-tongues.
 

On adult literacy
Resolution 5.1

Adult literacy is an important issue as many adults worldwide lack reading and writing skills.

Recommendations

Governments should plan and implement adult literacy programs that would eliminate illiteracy. There is need tp train skilled teachers for adult education in methodologies specifically designed for adults. Governments and other stakeholders should establish permanent educational facilities which would make adult learning ‘life-long’, functional and sustainable.

On libraries and literacy
Resolution 6.1

It is noted with concern that there is a visible lack of reading centres, especially in rural areas.

Recommendations

Governments and stakeholders should plan and implement the establishment of reading centers and libraries down to the grassroots and, where possible, mobile libraries should be put in place. Governments should seriously consider mainstreaming the literacy successes of local non-governmental organizations such as that of CBP (Tanzania) and LETTER.

On literacy and cultural integration
Resolution 7.1

Africa is endowed with a rich repertoire of literatures that has not been translated into different African languages.

Recommendation

Good African stories should be translated in as many African mother-tongues as possible in order to share cross-cultural and philosophical experiences, which may be common or unique.
 

On preservation of mother-tongues
Resolution 8.1

Most African languages are on the verge of disappearing owing to their being marginalized in the current globalized socio-linguistic, socio-economic and literary setting.

Recommendations

In this ICT age, there is strong need to plan and implement the localization of computer programs into the marginalized languages as a way of promoting and preserving them.
Broadcast media should also be actively engaged in promoting literacy.