This article looks at the methodological implications of bringing what has been termed an 'ethnographic perspective' on literacies, identity and social change, into the international policy discourse on education and development. Through an analysis of the UNESCO Global Monitoring Report 2006,...

Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) has gained in popularity over the last decade and now presents a viable challenge to the traditional methods of project planning. This paper explores the idea of PRA as a new literacy and examines how far the visual language of PRA can be considered to be...

A novel approach to the assessment of literacy is used to tackle the issue of effectiveness of years of schooling. The dichotomy inherent in the literacy rate is rejected in favor of a “practice-based” approach, which considers literacy as a multifaceted phenomenon as advocated in...

There is a growing consensus that the dichotomous categories of literate and illiterate should be abandoned. However, the dichotomy has considerable utility in the analysis of educational achievements and inequality in developing countries. Statistics on functional adult literacy are intended to...

The problem of child labor has moved from a matter of regional and national concern to one of international debate and possible global persuasion and policy intervention. In crafting policy for mitigating this enormous problem of our times, it is important to start with a proper theoretical and...