Clara Moyo, 50, has 11 children and three grandchildren. She went back to school a few years ago, and is now in grade 10 at the same secondary school as her first-born son who is in grade 12.

"I had big problems - I couldn't speak English [Zambia's official language]. Education is power, education is very important. Without education you can’t be recognised in the community, without education it is as if you are dead," Moyo told IRIN.

Zambia's illiterate adults will continue to be excluded from the benefits of a growing economy unless government steps in, civil society groups have warned.

Moyo highlighted the need for targeted schooling for adults: "Because of my education, I am now able to understand many things. But it's not easy because some fellow pupils always laugh at me when they see me, an old person, wearing a school uniform for girls. Many women admire me, and are willing to start school but they say [that] they can’t learn with their own children."

"In all places where people were illiterate, poverty was rife. Illiteracy certainly excludes people from the process of production, and denies them the opportunity to participate in social programmes that are meant to improve their livelihoods," said Margaret Machila, the lead researcher of a study, The Extent of Adult Literacy in Zambia.
The study, funded by South Africa's Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa and released this week, suggested illiteracy among the adult population fuelled poverty, particularly in rural areas where more than half of female adults were illiterate compared to about one fifth of females in urban areas.

About 68 percent of Zambia's 11.7 million people live on the equivalent of US$1 or less a day and according to the Ministry of Education about 35 percent of Zambia's adult population cannot read or write.

Despite the hopeful picture painted by the economic indicators - Zambia's economy grew by five percent for five consecutive years with single digit inflation - critics argue the illiterate may never get to experience the rewards.

"The benefits of our growing economy are yet to trickle down to the majority of citizens [but] the situation is even worse for the illiterate. While the literate people can start up some small business or find something to do for a living, the illiterate are always the most exploited. Some of them can't even count money," Machila said.

No policy

The government does not have a formal adult literacy policy, but runs some programmes. Adult literacy lessons are mostly provided by volunteers and local nongovernmental organisations often under trees or in makeshift buildings; many learners are then forced to join formal schools.

"The need for the [adult literacy] policy has become even more urgent as people are now beginning to respond more favourably to the call for education for all, which government committed itself to fulfilling," said Victor Koyi, chair of the Zambia National Education Coalition, an umbrella of civic organisations promoting non-formal education.

According to Jennifer Chiwela, an education specialist, a higher rate of adult literacy would have a positive impact on development. "Our biggest problem is lack of commitment by our political leadership to effective adult literacy programmes. Both government and the donors have not been committing much funding to adult literacy; we lack a comprehensive policy framework," she added.

In his January 2008 national budget, Zambia’s Finance minister Ng'andu Magande allocated 15 percent of the US$3.4 billion budget to the recruitment of more teachers and construction of classrooms for basic and secondary schools, but no funds were allocated to improve adult literacy.

But according to Education Minister Geoffrey Lungwangwa, the government would have a national adult literacy policy in place soon. "As government, we are committed to ensuring that more of our people attain both information and functional literacy. They must be able to access information and translate it to improve their lives."

IRIN