Basic literacy – Innovative learnable reading tool for low skilled women Erasmus Project

Project Title

Basic literacy – Innovative learnable reading tool for low skilled women

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Key Competences (incl. mathematics and literacy) – basic skills; Gender equality / equal opportunities; Migrants’ issues

Project Summary

Literacy is fundamental to human development as it enables people to live full lives and contribute to their communities and societies. The basic literacy skills landscape of EU citizen and not only is very gloomy now a days, although in some countries the official data about this issues are missing, there are a lot of signals that the situation is critical. Literacy is also an essential prerequisite for all kinds of learning. In the knowledge-based societies of the 21st century, with the rapid spread of new technologies and a constantly changing work environment, education is no longer limited to childhood and adolescence but instead should be conceptualized as lifelong and life-wide.
In Europe, one in five 16-65 year-olds have poor reading skills and it is estimated that around 55 million adults between 15 and 65 years of age have literacy difficulties (World Literacy Foundation, 2015). European males have a slightly higher literacy level compared to European females (OECD, PIAAC). According to PIAAC data, among EU countries, Austria registers the highest gender gap with respect to literacy difficulties.
In Romania, according to the latest official census data (2011), 1.4% from total population have no education/no basic literacy skills (read and write), while the percentage of illiterates by gender indicates that the problem is more critical among women: 1% men and 1.7% women. The number of illiterate women (around 160.000) is twice the number of illiterate men in Romania (80.000). By ethnicity, 1% of Romanians, 14.1% of Roma, 11.1% of Turkish have no basic literacy skills. Data broken down by gender and ethnicity show that women from ethnic minority groups register the highest rate of illiteracy. Thus, 0.6% of Romanian men, 1.4% of Romanian women; 11.3% of Roma men and 17% of Roma women; 8% of Turkish men and 14.8% of Turkish women have no basic literacy skills.
Also, other European countries face significant rates of illiteracy among adults such as Turkey (4.4%) and Spain (1.7%) (UNDP). According to UNESCO data, in 2016, Turkey registered almost 2 million illiterate women and around 350.000 illiterate men. In Spain the number of illiterate women is around 460.000, while the number of illiterate man is 220.000.
People with literacy difficulties feel ashamed about their shortcomings, hide it, believe they are too old to learn, and either consider improvement impossible or are afraid of failing (Hanushek & Woessmann, 2011). People with literacy difficulties are more likely to suffer from unemployment, poor health and poverty. Literacy difficulties cost the the EU economy over 350 billion euros each year (World Literacy Foundation, 2015).
I-Read project aims to develop and boost basic literacy skills of adults, targeting low educated women.
Specific objectives are: addressing the most common needs of women with no basic literacy skills for improving their social integration and life chances; developing and transferring an innovative tool for basic literacy skills to organizations and NGOs that support skills development among low-educated women, supporting the activity of NGOs for women that are active at local level, rural areas and among disadvantaged groups.
I-Read project will involve as participants: 100 from target groups (60 ILLITERATE WOMEN, from disadvantaged groups such as Roma, migrants; and 40 MENTORS who will support illiterate women to achieve basic literacy) and 20 experts in adult education, IT application for learning/training, mentoring.
i-Read project will develop 2 INTELLECTUAL OUTPUTS:
-Learnable Reading Tool – LRT an innovative approach for teaching reading skills , for those who will learn “basic literacy” via smart phones, only watching and listening avatars and learning alphabet and 25-50 basic phrases for daily life;
The most important function of i-Read tool will be that, it will allow the illiterate women to become literate women on their own – only by receiving support from close mentors (e.g. daughters) – overcoming the “embarrassment” obstacle which usually prevents them from attending conventional literacy training classes. The tool addresses women who are living in remote areas of the country with mobility restrictions, including disabilities. Thus, i-Read’s LRT will definitely remove all possible barriers which may hold back the illiterate women from becoming literate women!
-Handbook for mentors, for those who will assist literacy learners (who may be family members, friends) and who can read/write; and are willing to help the learner;
The results will be promoted via 4 MULTIPLAYER EVENTS, National Workshops “Basic literacy for women”.
The direct impact of project will consist in reducing the number of illiterate women in communities with risk of marginalization, while the spillover effects resulting from the good example of results achieved by participants that will raise the number of literate women in closed communities.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 184966 Eur

Project Coordinator

INSTITUTUL NATIONAL DE CERCETARE STIINTIFICA IN DOMENIUL MUNCII SI PROTECTIEI SOCIALE & Country: RO

Project Partners

• TUM AVRUPA KADINLARI KULTUREL ISBIRLIGI VE DAYANISMA DERNEGI
• DRAMBLYS
• EBL Elektronik Bilgi Bilisim ve Mesleki Egitim Hizmetleri Ltd. Sti.
• Blickpunkt Identität
• FONDO FORMACION EUSKADI SLL
• E-Romnja Association for Promoting Roma Women’s Rights
• Verein Frauen für Frauen Burgenland