§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Minister of Overseas Development if she will make a statement on the progress of the work of the United Kingdom National Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, and of her Department, in connection with the international campaign to help developing countries with the problem of illiteracy.
§ Mr. WhitakerThe policy of the United Kingdom National Commission for U.N.E.S.C.O. has been to allow the initial U.N.E.S.C.O. World Literacy Experimental Campaign pilot projects time to get under way, while making known to U.N.E.S.C.O. our readiness to assist in providing field experts and training seminars and with the evaluation of projects. The first of these U.N.E.S.C.O. projects is only two years old and some have yet to begin. The lessons just emerging were reported last month at the 83rd Session of the Executive Board of U.N.E.S.C.O.
Last year the National Commission sought to arouse public opinion on Literacy Day—8th September, 1968—by launching a literacy month. A circular was sent to schools, non-governmental organisations, libraries, universities and 142W newspapers; and literature and display materials were supplied on request. As a result of Press releases by the National Commission the problem of illiteracy was aired in national, provincial, professional and church newspapers. The sound radio featured two items on the subject and a panel of speakers met requests from professional and voluntary organisations. Several schools and libraries organised exhibitions. On 3rd October the Archbishop of York preached in St. Martin's-in-the-Fields in support of U.N.E.S.C.O.s literacy work.
A conference on the evaluation of experimental literacy projects was held early in 1969 at the Institute of Development Studies at Sussex University. It was attended by representatives of universities and institutes as well as by observers from overseas and from U.N.E.S.C.O. In August U.N.E.S.C.O. organised at the University of London Institute of Education under the direction of a British expert, a training course for evaluators of functional literacy projects.
My Department views literacy in the context of wide education for social and economic development, with special reference to the rural areas of developing countries and to the formal and informal education of adults. Britain's willingness to help other Commonwealth countries over literacy and cognate problems has been made clear at two successive Commonwealth Education Conferences. Bilaterally our assistance has been given through the provision of training and the supply of key personnel, with equipment where necessary, to overseas training institutions and Government departments, and through the building up of knowledge of educational aids.