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 quality literacy programmes. Such training underscores a commitment to literacy as a human right, a source of equity and social justice. Since the 1990s, Southern Africa has attended to literacy as part of regional commitment to the ideals of the Jomtien Declaration on education-for-all. This paper provides 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, literacy facilitators receive little remuneration, are not considered as professionals and lack job security. The paper examines the nature of their training and concludes that they receive minimal training that is inadequate for transforming them into professionals and, as such, this compromises the quality of their service delivery. The paper recommends the use of participatory training methods, the involvement of NGOs in training, the hiring of facilitators on contract, and the co-training of adult literacy facilitators and primary school teachers.