Do literacy programmes for indigenous people ignore gender?

Adult education programmes developed for or by indigenous communities rarely address gender inequalities. Programmes often aim to promote indigenous people’s rights, including bringing together communities who are actually differentiated along lines of gender, class and age. Despite their commitment to adjusting unequal power relations, course designers rarely mention gender.

A paper from the UK’s University of East Anglia draws on studies of indigenous adult education in Asia to highlight the importance of participatory forms of education in including gender while addressing the needs of various indigenous groups.

Adult education is often provided as cheaply as possible. The fact that many indigenous people drop out of courses shows the need for greater investment in high-quality education. In all countries with reliable data there is a consistent gap between the literacy rates of the indigenous and non-indigenous populations. Although many Asian governments are now committed to increasing education for indigenous groups, interventions are often uncoordinated and fail to address fundamental issues – particularly the question of language of instruction.

UNESCO has argued that education must be taught in the mother tongue of indigenous communities. However, this may not be the best approach, especially for adult students motivated to learn the dominant official language. In some cases where mother tongue teaching has been promoted, community members worry that their lack of access to a language of power will reaffirm their low status, make it harder to influence state institutions and reduce employment prospects.

The authors present evidence that:

• Programmes have tried to introduce Western participatory teaching methods into classes for indigenous people without exploring participants’ views on this.
• Many programmes have drawn on indigenous knowledge to inform the content of their curriculum but few have experimented with indigenous forms of class organisation or teaching methodologies.
• The traditional notion of a ‘pure’ language of instruction has overlooked evidence that code switching - the mixing of two or more languages - is an effective strategy for adult learners.
• Programme planners sometimes fear that raising gender or class issues can divide groups and will interfere with traditional structures: they often assume that only men are capable of providing leadership.

Indigenous and tribal peoples are often minority groups – India’s 400 tribal groups make up eight percent of the country’s population. Those who plan and deliver education services often overlook the differences within communities and take a fixed view of indigenous education as a way to preserve language and culture, rather than as a potential opportunity for change.

Programme planners and tutors therefore need to:

• develop programmes in collaboration with participants and in relation to their goals, which may focus on developing specific skills.
• recognise that indigenous communities are not all the same, but have differing needs and experiences
• strengthen the links between generations and use older people as a key resource in learning
• explore and develop indigenous knowledge and skills as a way of presenting alternative views and values such as gender equality, as well as strengthening skills such as leadership or literacy
• take a flexible and responsive approach to language policy.

Source(s):
‘Adult Education and Indigenous People: Addressing Gender in Policy and Practice’, International Journal of Educational Development, 26, pp 209–223, by Nitya Rao and Anna Robinson-Pant, January 2006

Funded by: UNESCO

id21 Research Highlight: 7 April 2006

Further Information:
Nitya Rao
School of Development Studies
University of East Anglia
Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK

Tel: +44 (0)1603 592333
Fax: +44 (0)1603 451999
Contact the contributor: n.rao@uea.ac.uk

School of Development Studies, University of East Anglia (UEA), UK

Anna Robinson-Pant
Centre for Applied Research in Education
University of East Anglia
Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK

Tel: +44 (0)1603 5923857
Fax: +44 (0)1603 451999
Contact the contributor: A.Robinson-pant@uea.ac.uk

Centre for Applied Research in Education, University of East Anglia (UEA), UK

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