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(June 2010) UNESCO and the Government of Nigeria organized the Eighth E-9 Ministerial Review Meeting on Literacy for Development, which was held 21–24 June in Abuja, Nigeria. The theme of the meeting, “Literacy for Development,” focused on how to cut adult illiteracy rates in half by 2015, particularly among girls and women.
Dr. Barbara Trudell, Director of Academic Affairs for SIL Africa Area and an international literacy and education consultant, gave an invited workshop presentation on literacy in multilingual contexts. Dr. Trudell’s presentation made the point that local-language literacy brings the written word into the everyday life of the learner, while literacy in the official language helps to bring the learner into the life of the nation.
Conference participants shared with colleagues their experiences and knowledge on the relationship between literacy and development; on ways of overcoming obstacles in providing literacy for out-of-school children, youth and adults; and on strategies to improve and scale-up literacy programs as well as collective commitments to non-formal education.
The E-9 Initiative is a forum for nine of the most populous countries of the South (Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria and Pakistan) to discuss their experiences in education.