media releases - Unisa's ABET to enter partnership with IEC

For further information: Prof Veronica McKay (012) 429-8638 or email:

mckayvi@unisa.ac.za

Issued by: Doreen Gough, Manager: Media Affairs, Corporate Communication & Marketing, Unisa. Tel (012) 429-2611 or 082 4977 938. email:

goughdd@unisa.ac.za

Date of issue: 30 July 2003

The formal agreement will be undertaken on 8 August from 11:00 to 13:00 in the Senate Hall, 2nd level, Theo van Wijk Building, Unisa.

Background

Unisa joined the Department of Education to implement the South African National Literacy Initiative (SANLI), which is aimed at reducing the rates of illiteracy by 35% in each province over a period of 4 years. During 2002, with financial support from the British Department of International Development (DFID), the UNISA ABET Institute enabled 100 000 adults to become literate.

In 2003, once again with DFID support, UNISA ABET took on the challenge of reaching 200 000 illiterates. However, it was felt that in order to enable adults to truly participate in our new democracy, adults needed to become literate about their human rights and about their role in the democratic processes of South Africa. So, in addition to teaching adults

To become literate in their mother tongue

To communicate in the local language of their economy (mainly English)

To understand how business and the economy work

To understand about the spread of HIV/AIDS and to change one’s behaviour appropriately, and

To become numerate,

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UNISA/ABET joined forces with the IEC to include a democracy component in their literacy and basic education programme. The IEC was an obvious partner since the IEC has a Democracy Development and Electoral Education department that provides democracy development and voter education through various programmes. One of these is the democracy in schools programme – a programme that is extended to all learners; adults and young people.

The IEC had developed training material on democracy and elections and is providing democracy education to 401 schools in all provinces. So as to extend this reach to more learners and for ABET/SANLI to ensure that their learners receive democracy education a partnership between the two institutions was entered into.

The IEC has supplied learning packs consisting of a learner’s bag with democracy and voting information for 100 000 learners and 6000 educators, and UNISA ABET with the support of the British DFID has supplied all the other stationery and learning material and has deployed 10 000 volunteers (who receive a stipend) to implement the basic education programme to 200 000 learners this year. Because of the wide Unisa ABET graduate educator network, the programme has been able to reach learners in the most poverty-stricken areas of South Africa. The outreach includes:

Rural dwellers

Farm workers

Workers in the informal sector

Domestic workers

Prisoners

The disabled

The aged

People from urban townships

Inner city dwellers

The homeless

Street children

Hostel dwellers

Women’s groups

Pensioners

Church groups

Children in AIDS affected families

Street children

Traditional healers, and so on.

ABET/SANLI/IEC therefore enables all learners to receive democracy education as part of their adult literacy classes.

The relationship was entered into in March 2003 and is an ongoing relationship between the two organizations. Both organizations have pledged themselves to continued fundraising for the project.

ends

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