20th century – 20th century
Ethiopia
The Ethiopian National Literacy Campaign was a nationwide program organized under the revolutionary government to combat illiteracy. Coordinated from 1979 by a national committee, it mobilized volunteers, used schools for adult classes, distributed millions of booklets, and received an international literacy prize in 1980.
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The Story
The revolutionary government launched a national literacy campaign after inheriting a country whose literacy rate was reported as below ten percent. In 1979, a national committee was created to coordinate the program across Ethiopia. The campaign sought to extend basic reading instruction beyond the limited reach of the formal school system.
The program relied on a large volunteer effort. Government sources reported that about 1.5 million people worked in the campaign, including housewives, students, teachers, military personnel, and members of religious groups. Adult classes used elementary and secondary school facilities in many areas, linking the campaign to the country’s existing educational infrastructure.
Officials distributed more than twenty-two million reading booklets and texts for beginning and advanced readers. The Ministry of Education also supplied books on agriculture, health, and basic technology. UNESCO awarded Ethiopia the International Reading Association Literacy Prize in 1980, although later literacy estimates remained disputed and were treated cautiously because of disagreements over government reporting and the definition of literacy.
20th century – 20th century
Ethiopia
The Ethiopian National Literacy Campaign was a nationwide program organized under the revolutionary government to combat illiteracy. Coordinated from 1979 by a national committee, it mobilized volunteers, used schools for adult classes, distributed millions of booklets, and received an international literacy prize in 1980.
Continue exploring
The Story
The revolutionary government launched a national literacy campaign after inheriting a country whose literacy rate was reported as below ten percent. In 1979, a national committee was created to coordinate the program across Ethiopia. The campaign sought to extend basic reading instruction beyond the limited reach of the formal school system.
The program relied on a large volunteer effort. Government sources reported that about 1.5 million people worked in the campaign, including housewives, students, teachers, military personnel, and members of religious groups. Adult classes used elementary and secondary school facilities in many areas, linking the campaign to the country’s existing educational infrastructure.
Officials distributed more than twenty-two million reading booklets and texts for beginning and advanced readers. The Ministry of Education also supplied books on agriculture, health, and basic technology. UNESCO awarded Ethiopia the International Reading Association Literacy Prize in 1980, although later literacy estimates remained disputed and were treated cautiously because of disagreements over government reporting and the definition of literacy.