Cameroon gains admission as member of Global Alliance for Literacy.

It was the Secretary of State to the Minister of Basic Education, Dr Asheri Kilo, who announced the good news.

The government official used the meeting to emphasise the significance of Global Alliance for Literacy to the strengthening of the country’s literacy policies and programmes. 

While expressing her endorsement of Cameroon’s membership, Minister Asheri Kilo noted that: “Cameroon becomes the 31st member of the Global Alliance for Literacy. It is a partnership where Cameroon stands to gain a lot in terms of funding, training and all of the facilities that would help to develop the country in terms of literacy”.

She underscored the country’s commitment to advancing literacy through collective action and international cooperation.

She added that: “We hope that, someday, every Cameroonian will be able to read and write. But we also want more, because literacy does not end with reading and writing, it is a about cultural and personal development. The world today is moving towards AI, and we hope that once Cameroonians have learned how to read and write, they will move from literacy directly into AI systems”.

The meeting of the Global Alliance for Literacy also provided a platform for members to discuss key strategies for establishing robust policy frameworks and programmes aimed at bolstering literacy at the national level.

In addition, members reviewed ways to measure literacy learning outcomes through the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning's RAMAED programme.

Since its launch in 2016, the Global Alliance for Literacy within the Framework of Lifelong Learning has driven international discourse and guided the agenda for literacy provision globally for those who need it most. 

The Alliance now includes 31 countries committed to improving youth and adult literacy. It serves as a platform for its members to collectively discuss progress and challenges, and exchange knowledge and good practices

The Global Alliance for Literacy, GAL, engages a multiplicity of stakeholders to advocate for the importance of youth and adult literacy and to catalyse in an effective and coordinated manner efforts to improve literacy rates in the countries that need it the most.

The objectives of the organisation include improving GAL stakeholders’ (intersectoral) collaboration for literacy and numeracy development at international, regional, national and local levels.

It also seeks to increase resources for the implementation of literacy efforts of the 31 GAL countries by strengthening political will, commitments and public awareness as well as the strengthening of GAL member countries’ capacity to formulate, implement and monitor education policies and programmes for the advancement of literacy and numeracy.

The movement equally aims to enhance knowledge creation and sharing for GAL member countries’ evidence-based literacy policy designs and implementation.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post issue N0:3235 of Friday September 20, 2024