However, the Gods of technology have heard Mariam Thiam’s prayers and have responded. Thiam (40), mother of five and involved in a polygamous marriage, has lived to tell the tale of being able to now read – though gradually – the SMSes coming through her cellphone thanks to the National Literacy Programme for Youth and Adults Based on ICTs (PNEBJA-TIC in its French acronym).
The programme, launched in 2013, aimed at enrolling and training more than 14 000 people, the Senegalese government said.
Despite this modest success, Senegal’s ICT-packed literacy projects face serious funding problems as the government only allocates 1% of the education budget to this programme, whereas experts recommend at least 3%.
This led the United Nations to give a helping hand to ensure that a big portion of women and girls like Thiam become literate and improved their lives.
It is in this spirit that UNESCO launched an ICT-based project called PAJEF, which is a two-year Literacy Progamme for Women and Girls aiming at training 40 000 women and girls from 15 to 55-year-old to read and write.
UNESCO Dakar said the programme offers quality literacy through the use of Internet, TV, mobile phone and CD-DVD in national languages and French.
UNESCO Dakar, which supervises all UNESCO offices in Africa, also said the project will be rolled out in several African countries.
“The fight against illiteracy is a national issue that requires a lot of commitment from everyone,” government representative Mamadou Mar said.
Thiam told Biztechafrica that being able to read and write has helped her take control of her life and look at life from another angle.
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Quelle/Source: BiztechAfrica, 06.10.2014
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