| National Literacy Goals |
| YEAR |
2005 |
2010 |
2012 |
| Total adult literacy
rate (%) |
60 |
80 |
100 |
| Female adult literacy
rate (%) |
50 |
80 |
100 |
| Male adult literacy
rate (%) |
55 |
80 |
100 |
|
|
| Definition of a Literate Person |
|
One who can independently read and write for communication and solve
new problems using literacy skills.
|
| Name of National Literacy Agency |
|
Non-formal Education Division, Education Department
| "Literacy Facts and Figures" of Bhutan |
|
|
| Structure of National Literacy Agency |
HRD Plan for Non Formal Education (Year 2002 to 2007)
Proposed management structure |
 |
Dzongkhag and grassroots level management structure of Non Formal Education |
 |
| Number of NGOs working in the field of literacy |
... |
| Number of literacy classes in most recent
year |
190 centres including 45 post literacy
centres as of June 2001 |
| Number of classroom hours designated to achieve
basic literacy |
624 hours (one year, 2 hours a day,
5 days a week) |
|
| National Policies and Strategies |
| |
| National Policies on Literacy /
Non-formal Education in Latest Policy Document on Education |
|
|
To eradicate illiteracy by the year 2012. |
|
|
All the adult population above 15 years of
age will be functionally literate and numerate in the national
language. |
|
|
| |
| Current Literacy / Non-formal Education
Objectives /Strategies |
|
|
Provision of basic literacy programme in Dzongkha
to adult population will be a priority objective of the next
5-year plan. |
|
|
| |
| Lessons Learned from
Past Literacy Programmes and Activities |
|
|
The best way to succeed with literacy programmes
is to have active involvement of the local authorities and
guide their involvement in the right direction. |
|
|
Role of formal school teachers in NFE can help
in promoting literacy more effectively. |
|
|
| National Policy and Strategies |
| |
The Royal Government of Bhutan places a very strong emphasis on providing
education opportunities for all Bhutanese people. It aims to provide
nine years of education free of charge and to ensure that all Bhutanese
receive a basic education. Basic education in Bhutan is understood to
be that which improves quality of life, allows successful living in
society and provides knowledge and skills for application in work and
general living.
The Division of Non-Formal Education (DNFE) will provide basic education
opportunities for those disadvantaged groups that do not take part in
formal education. The DNFE is therefore involved in expanding the range
of opportunities for basic education. The following constitutes its
responsibilities:
| 1. |
Developing curricula and effective NFE programmes
which address disadvantaged population. |
| 2. |
Training teachers and volunteers in teaching methods. |
| 3. |
Providing teachers with support and materials to
enhance their teaching. |
| 4. |
Establishment of community learning centres and post
literacy centres with reading corners and vocational training facilities.
|
| 5. |
Establishment of non-formal education centres in
different Dzongkhags. |
| 6. |
Planning and monitoring the implementation of NFE
programmes. |
|
| |
| Current Non-formal Education Objectives/Strategies |
|
The Importance of Today's Literacy: Literacy and
basic education are really becoming effective tools to help people
solve the problems they face in their daily life and also assist
them to live in harmony with their rapidly changing environment.
People today have to be able to realize that they can use education
to seek vocational skills to improve the quality of life so as
to attain happiness, which is based on each individual's personal
experiences. Complete happiness can be achieved when there is
no physical or emotional conflict between a person and his/her
environment physically or mentally. This shows that basic education
or literacy today play important roles as tools that will enable
individuals to create their own harmony between themselves and
today's rapidly changing surroundings.
Literacy as a tool for quality of life and social development:
It was committed during the World Conference on EFA that
by the Year 2000, basic education (reading and writing skills)
would be given to every citizen in the country. It is also believed
that development springs from investment in human resources. Thus,
if the majority of the people in the country are well educated,
it means that the country has valuable and qualified national
human resources with high potential in developing a country to
create prosperity in various fields. This significantly reveals
that good quality of an individual's life with high education
leads to national development as a whole.
Strategies for organizing literacy/non-formal education:
| 1. |
Gathering all forces from every part of society
as well as from the public communities, GOs, NGOs, monastic
bodies and private sectors, etc. to have participation and
responsibility in providing non formal education with the
support of resources such as the Department's networks. This
will help the out-of-school population all over the country
to have access to the NFE services. |
| 2. |
Provision of NFE programmes to be responsive
to the needs of the learners so that they can choose to learn
the programmes relevant to their previous knowledge and experiences.
Learning and teaching process has also been adjusted so as
to be more flexible and have more variety, to enable the learners
to seek knowledge continuously throughout their lives. |
| 3. |
Besides emphasizing other aspects of the programme,
place special emphasis on post-literacy and continuing education
for the neo-literates so that they can be prevented from relapsing
into illiteracy. |
| 4. |
Continuation of full-cycle development of non-formal
education by using research and development process to improve
quality of work of every unit of the NFE Division. |
| 5. |
Use of information technology in management
and development of learning and teaching process in order
to provide equal opportunity to the people to acquire qualitative
and standardized education, as well as to enable them to learn
by themselves in the current information society.
|
|
|
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