THE LITERACY WINNERS' FORUM: WINNING THE FUTURE TOGETHER

More than a hundred winners of the National Literacy Awards (NLA), coming from all regions, participated in a forum organized by the Literacy Coordinating Council, (LCC) in cooperation with SEAMEO INNOTECH in December 2001.

Literacy workers, sectoral service providers, local government officials, stakeholders, and education officials participated in the forum, dubbed “Winning the Future Together.” The event marked LCC’s decade-long existence since its creation through RA 7165, authored by Senator Santanina Rasul. The Senator received a plaque of recognition during the same occasion, presented to her by Education Undersecretary Ramon Bacani, who also chairs the LCC.

The forum served as a venue for sharing practices and insights among NLA winners. It also gave participants the chance to identify the winning factors and innovative strategies of other winning literacy workers, programs and local government units.

Forum participants came up with a collective statement on the promotion of literacy in the country towards its total eradication. They called for the recognition of the important role of literacy promotion in moving towards the goals set by the Dakar Framework of Action, which aims, among others, for the elimination of gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 2005 and the achievement of gender equality in education by 2015.

Likewise, forum participants planned to organize themselves into a Literacy Winners’ Organization. A working group, comprised of representatives from all regions, was already identified to study and thresh out mechanics and other processes involved in formalizing the organization.

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