Literacy: it used to be just about knowing how to read and write. But in post literacy, as it is called, literacy means more than just ABCs and 123s, it is about computer literacy, knowing the tricks of your chosen trade, and even knowing how to start a business; in other words it is more practical than theoretical. Over the next four days the Adult and Continuing Education Unit of the Ministry of Education is holding workshops with 45 teachers and other stakeholders to come up with teaching modules to prepare students for post-literacy. Dr. Elizabeth Cardenas is the national coordinator for the unit and she says post-literacy is literacy on another level.
Dr. Elizabeth Cardenas, Coordinator, ACE Unit
"Post literacies, as we are saying, is taking literacy to another level. We are asking that people get a toolbox, get their literacy toolbox, and say here I have the basics but I need to know lots more. For example computer literacy, communication literacy, workplace literacy, parental literacy, and the list can go and on and on. There is more to literacy than just basic reading and writing, there's lots more, especially to survive in today's society."
"In terms of learning to read and write, it is done at the primary school but there are many children who have fallen through the cracks, many adults now too, so we are saying to them that's not a problem, its not big deal, Adult and Continuing Education has its doors open for you to get those literacies. We're saying to the districts, make sure you have somewhere that learners can go to acquire primary school and high school equivalents and then we are going to promote four or five literacies in connection with this, for example employability literacy, entrepreneurship literacy."
The workshop runs through to Friday at the City Center Conference Room. The post-literacy modules should be ready for implementation by August.