State hegemony and the planning and implementation of literacy education in Botswana
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Date
2004-01-24Author
Maruatona, T.
Publisher
Elsevier, http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/homepage.cws_homeLink
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6VD7-4B8K9FP-C/2/b6a92ca0f0632ae3ef821f8e0ed73324Type
Published ArticleMetadata
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Planning adult literacy education in developing nations is largely viewed as a technical process reserved for government officials at the Ministry of Education. This empirical study argues that in Botswana, state sponsored adult literacy asserts its hegemony and stifles learner participation and district initiatives. The paper provides an overview of the socio-economic and political situation in Botswana arguing that in spite of being a liberal democracy, the planning and implementation of adult literacy education is driven by central government officials and views learners as having similar experiences and treats them as passive consumers. It fails to employ literacy education to address social disparities based on ethnicity and gender. Finally, the paper suggests that the planning should be decentralized and use a participatory approach.