International 'Year of Literacy' helps Native community

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The United Nations has declared 1990 International Year of Literacy.

The aims for the year are to increase government action in addressing literacy problems; increasing public awareness and participation in projects and using the year of literacy towards launching a plan of action to eradicate illiteracy by the year 2000.

The idea behind having an International Year of Literacy has been discussed since 1984, according to Mariette Houge, program officer at UNESCO (United Nations Educational and Scientific Cultural Organization) Canada.

Houge says the ministers of education met with the ministers of economics and decided there should be a focus on international literacy.

UNESCO was in charge of background research. Information was gathered and sent to the UN and at the end of 1987, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 1990 International Year of Literacy.

In Alberta, a representative of the Ministers Advisory Committee on Native Peoples Education Francis feels there should be more focus on Native programming throughout the program.

"There are a number of literacy programs in the Native community, but not enough as far as I'm concerned," says Frances Hanna.

"One of the problems I have is that literacy programs are certainly available throughout the province. However, they work more or less on a volunteer basis. What we feel is that we have to have policy and guidelines."

The province has started Native Adult Literacy Programs in Saddle Lake, Goodfish Lake, Cold Lake, Kehewin and Frog Lake.

"The program has helped 10 on the reserve, but we're short on volunteers," said Ruby Houle in an interview from Saddle Lake last week.

In Cold Lake, Marlene Piche is disappointed because there is no one in the program yet. But she is determined to get something happening.

Hanna feels the development of literacy programs through education should be presented, then implemented and then progress to the provincial department of education.

"How come the department of education isn't in on this? I think the ministers' offices should combine their efforts in presenting these programs," she declared.

Hanna feels that adult literacy should not be part of advance education strictly because of age. In many cases, she says, the adult learner is moving from almost zero literacy t Grade 9 and higher.

At Ben Calf Robe School in Edmontin, its literacy program received funding to hire certified teachers to teach adults at the school.

Louis Lamothe, of the Ben Calf Robe Society, says most of the adults taking part in the literacy program are functioning at a Grade 3 level.

The program has been successfully running for about three years. The ten-month program usually has an enrollment of 22 adults whose average age is about 30.

Elsewhere, The Yellowhead Tribal Council is involved in a joint project with Muskwachees Cultural College from Hobbema to form a literacy model for teaching adults.

"We're putting emphasis on those people who have no reading skill at all," says Fern Thompson, a teacher at Muskwachees.

"We found that's the place where there is a gap in most programs."

She says they have been working on the project to test on actual readers, we don't know," she says. "(For) that we have to apply for funding to run another project."

The UN aims to increase "action by the governments of members states afflicted by illiteracy or functional illiteracy to eliminate these problems, particularly through education in rural areas and urban slums, in favor of women and girls and among populations and groups having special education problems or needs."

This goal, in particular, will affect Native communities in Canada.

Although Hanna feels the government could do more, the government could do more, she is satisfied with the accomplishments to date.

"We have to commend our government for having this (the Native Adult Literacy Program) because the last statistic that I liked at was several years ago and there was over 70,000 pople north of Red Deer who were functionally illiterate."