An argument for the professionalization of literacy facilitators for Quality Education in Southern Africa

Abstract

Training adult literacy facilitators is essential for in the delivery of qualityliteracy programmes. Such training underscores a commitment to literacyas a human right, a source of equity and social justice. Since the 1990s,Southern Africa has attended to literacy as part of regional commitmentto the ideals of the Jomtien Declaration on education-for-all. This paperprovides an overview of the region’s literacy facilitator training policies.Based on the premise that facilitators are the fulcrum of quality literacy,the paper argues that it is regrettable that despite policy rhetoric, literacyfacilitators receive little remuneration, are not considered as professionalsand lack job security. The paper examines the nature of their trainingand concludes that they receive minimal training that is inadequate fortransforming them into professionals and, as such, this compromisesthe quality of their service delivery. The paper recommends the use ofparticipatory training methods, the involvement of NGOs in training, thehiring of facilitators on contract, and the co-training of adult literacyfacilitators and primary school teachers.
Key words: literacy facilitators, inadequate training, professionalization,participatory training methods.