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Jones, P. W. (1990). Unesco and the Politics of Global Literacy. Comparative Education Review, 34(1),
41–60.
Palabras clave
No tiene
Abstract/Resumen
Fisrst, the Unesco approach has been over whelmingly shaped by its attachment to economic and social
justifications for literacy at the expense of the literacy's psychological or consciousness raising possibilities.
Literacy is important, the programs would suggest, because it is the social environment that is transformed, not the
individual, even given the organization's attachment to literacy as an expression and a means of promoting human
rights.
Second, Unesco's paucity of resources (as well as certain constitutional limits) has forced it to remind national
governments of their own obligations to provide adequate literacy education. For this reason, enormous Unesco
energy has gone into the task of persuading governments of the scandalous literacy situation around the world.
Unesco Directors-General have been most indignant and morally outraged about literacy.
“the role of international organizations as communicators of ideas and policy options affecting education (…)
Much more common is the exercise of intellectual infuence, as external players seek to shape the policy-related
judgments and decisions made within the normal operation of decision making in sovereign states. For this reason
if for no other, the analysis of the evolution of agency thinking about key aspects of education becomes an urgent
research task.” (43).
Y comenta que es importante que ahora la centralidad está en la educación primaria, en que sea
organizada y medible de ciertos modos (Ver cita extensa)
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(Jones, 1990) Unesco and the politics of global literacy
First, each has had to reflect Unesco's incessant demands for human rights in education, which invariably has
meant universal literacy (more usually expressed in terms of the "eradication of illiteracy"). But these demands,
however morally compelling, have rarely provided detailed insights into programming strategies; they help
explain Unesco's commitments but have done little to shape their character. (…) Second, the material justification
for literacy has forced the organization to mold approaches to literacy that were compatible with all other parts of
its education program. Here, the greatest influence has been Unesco's attitudes concerning the links between
education and economic development (51).
La fundamental education se refería a los mínimos educativos que necesitaba una persona para vivir. El community
development surgió en el 55 y este dejaba la centralidad de la alfabetización y la definía como una más de las
estrategias para el desarrollo (53). En el 61 los soviéticos promueven una campaña de alfabetización global pero
Estados Unidos se opone y promueve una alfabetización selectiva de la que será central la functional literacy, como
opuesto a la campaña global. Por ello, en el 65 comienza UNDP-Unesco Experimental World Literacy Programme,
que promueve una work oriented literacy (55). Por último, pasan a la Cultural Literacy que es mas relativista.
Valoración crítica del documento
Es muy interesante el cambio de centralidad, de alfabetización a educación primaria, que tanto
Jones como Limage le atribuyen a la Unesco. Eso me hace pensar si es este cambio el que le da origen a
instituciones como Fundalectura, o que le da origen al cambio de programas de alfabetización a
promoción de lectura.
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(Jones, 1990) Unesco and the politics of global literacy
Jones presenta a la alfabetización como algo casual, algo que surge como solución a la falta de
identidad de la Unesco. ¿Pero por qué la alfabetización y no otra cosa?
Citas textuales
First, it points to the absolute priority given to the building up of formal schooling systems, systems that organize
knowledge into certifiable hierarchies and that have a profound capacity to promote the emergence of a global
technological civilization. This helps to explain why national systems of education are surprisingly homogeneous,
reflecting less and less local culture and diversity. Second, it reflects a view of adult literacy education and many
other kinds of nonformal education as essentially remedial, to be conceived and organized in the light of
inadequacies in primary schooling (44).
The organization was to mount a program that (a) enshrined a clear moral purpose designed to influence
nationalpolicy and practice along the lines outlined in the constitution referred to above, (b) promoted
intellectual contacts, exchanges, and investigations, (c) had an explicit functional orientation, aimed at
addressing major world problems in a practical way, and (d) was standard setting, aiming not only for
quality but also for the establishment of international norms in its fields of competence, backed up by
international legal mechanisms if required.
Bibliografía relevante
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