Learning, power and literacy

This is more Elimu-related than it is about the charity specifically. Whilst attempting to find something that I had recently misplaced, always the way, I instead came across some lecture notes that I made a few years ago after taking a course on Teachers, Teaching and Learning in the Context of Education for All as part of my Masters. These notes do not seem to have featured in an essay but they are relevant to Elimu and to the schools we work with, both in Kenya and in the UK.

Some of those thoughts and comments I have put together here:

-          There is no historical context for where good governance has led to good education; it is normally the other way round, starting with grassroots movements.

-          Historically and now, at least since human beings began to keep written records, the written word has dominated.

-          If literacy is so fundamental to other areas of life – i.e. skills and accessibility – why is so little money spent on it? Is it perhaps because it is not generally seen as a separate programme within basic primary education? (And secondary education, for that matter).

-          Different conceptions of literacy. Access to something is prioritised, but competency is not – what outcomes should there be? Can it be pre-judged when it is down to an individual’s ability to understand? How should it be judged? There is, for example, a clear gauge within banking – literacy is harder. Measurable benefits, beyond the reach of a school, can take a generation. Timescales though are important for policymakers.

-          To have literacy, and to be literate, is to articulate with the state.

-          Literacy is the foundation to education. Decoding and understanding = access, in real terms.

-          Chinese example of dyslexia affecting other side of the brain to that of someone in a western country because Chinese languages are based in symbols. Is being literate the same as acquiring a language? Does one concern understanding while the other is more of a technical function? Should we not have a holistic understanding of both these things?

-          Education is not a guarantee, but it is an opportunity. Education works with other domains i.e. law, human rights, society, and policy.

-          Education is a project of engagement but there is complexity surrounding it. The timescale for effective change is long, but it has to start somewhere.

-          In former colonies, which have changed beyond recognition due to Imperialism, it is too late to go back and undo what has been done. Have to listen and engage and help give options. It is important to pause, consider and involve before going forward in the most morally responsible way.

-          EFA (Education for All) goal is antagonistic towards nomadic values and cultures where individual rights are subordinate to the welfare and survival of the unit.

-          There is a tendency especially within former colonies to defer to what or who is perceived to be the best – some governments are unsure of how to proceed in implementing global policies, so they wait for outside ‘experts’ to come in even though they do not know the context.

-          Missing element in educational policy is teachers.

-          Communication of global and national policies tends to go from the top to the bottom. Development has become a business. Are we at risk of simply going round in circles?

And yet, I concluded at the end of my notes that there was hope. The implementation, development and acquirement of education, I felt then as now, is a process that is never finished. It is always improving, and when we look back on what there was before we should hopefully see that for all the things we may have got wrong, there is usually some improvement, some heightened awareness and understanding, somewhere.

The same is true I hope for Elimu

Jo