Literacy

Two cases of study circles in the Republic of Korea show how this small-scale form of lifelong learning implementation can meet different learning needs. The first is taken from Uijeongbu City, where the Uijeongbu Mom Sam Atelier learning club brings together mothers who want to learn more about good parenting. It was formed in 2006 and pursues ‘pleasurable childcare and happy education’ by organizing social activities and fostering a culture of community learning. As part of the Uijeongbu Lifelong Learning Exhibition, the group organizes a family play camp with games and lectures on parental mentoring. The group also reaches out to the community with voluntary services including cooking and childcare (Yoon, 2020). In Osan City, a study circle has been established to support those with low levels of literacy skills. The Osan City Literary Workshop aims to help people from this target group become passionate about learning by providing them with experiential learning opportunities. The principles of lifelong learning are reflected in the workshop’s recruitment of participants: those who benefit range in age from their thirties to their sixties and come from different backgrounds. Organizers of the study circle bring their practices and experiences to the National Literacy Teacher Conference each year and collaborate with adult literacy instructors in other cities to share effective methods (Moon, 2020).

Ganokendra (Bengali for people’s centres) and Community Learning Centres in Bangladesh focus primarily on developing literacy skills among out-of-school children, youth and adults living in marginalized rural communities, particularly women. The objective is to support sustainable local development. The activities cover aspects of income generation and basic literacy, as well as health, sanitation and early childhood care. Social events are organized for the promotion of literacy, such as theatre shows, writing competitions and local magazine publication.

Family Literacy (FLY) is a project designed to support active parenting in the context of language education. The project promotes literacy skills among parents to better support children’s language learning at home. The inclusive approach provides a bridge between family and education that supports the development of the child. The special focus of the project is families of migrant and socially disadvantaged backgrounds (State Institute for Teacher Training and School Development, n.d).

The Silver Infocomm Initiative (SII) was developed in 2007 by Infocomm Media Development Authority in Singapore. The initiative targets digital inclusion of senior citizens aged 50 and above. SII promotes IT awareness and literacy among seniors to empower them in a digital society for a more engaged and connected lifestyle. About 200,000 seniors have benefitted from the SII initiative and its activities, such as the Silver IT Fest Plus, mass training and roadshows, classes at Silver Infocomm Junctions (SIJs) and Intergen IT Bootcamps (Infocomm Media Development Authority, 2018).

Luxembourg has provided one-on-one and group computer and internet literacy training sessions targeted at senior and low-income citizens affected by digital exclusion since 2000. Internetstuffen, municipality telecentres funded by the State, offer an ‘Internet Führerschein’ (Computer Driving Licence) – a 20-hour intensive course that leads to a diploma from the Ministry of Education (UNESCO, 2018). The diploma acknowledges the possession of necessary basic skills and competency to participate in the information society. The Internetstuffen also offer refresher courses to update or further knowledge in social networking, internet communication, online shopping or leisure.