Devolution and partnership

The devolution of responsibilities from federal government to the provinces is a central current in the development of literacy work over the last quarter century — as shown above. The provinces and territories of course have constitutional responsibility for education. Furthermore, it has become the dominant view that although the federal government can encourage and support literacy activity, and provide instruction in particular contexts, adult literacy education, even if it is a matter of labour force training, must be organized under provincial and territorial governments. Most literacy programming is under provincial and territorial auspices.⁴⁷

Just as there has been a devolution of responsibility from federal to provincial and territorial governments, we might similarly speak of a devolution of responsibilities from all governments to other providers of literacy programming outside government, and in general to other "partners" in society. There are strong currents within governments at all levels to reduce the scope of government activity wherever possible, often to "privatize" not only industries but also social and educational services. There are also shifting relationships between political, economic and community institutions. Government less frequently mediates between social forces, and more frequently joins with various other interests in common discussion. One consequence of these changes is that co-ordination among multiple program providers and interested sectors of society is a major concern of literacy planning. The term "partnership" is now in very common use.

Ordinarily literacy programming and supports for literacy students are not provided solely by ministries of education. Ministries concerned with advanced education, job training, culture, libraries, prisons, and social services, also are involved. Government plans often specify a "lead ministry" charged with overall co-ordination of a government's activities in support of literacy. Other ministries are then deemed to be its "partners." However, in spite of the definition of "lead ministries" for literacy, and intra-governmental "partnerships," it is unfortunately common experience that the workings of cabinet government and of departmental bureaucracies produce competitiveness at the governmental level and a lack of co-ordination at the program level. In the federal government, there is no co-ordinating mechanism between the National Literacy Secretariat and Employment and Immigration Canada. In several provinces there is a marked lack of co-ordination between different ministries involved in program provision and support.

Although the term "partnership" arises within government, its primary use is to identify organizational linkages that extend beyond governments and educational systems. Beyond government, schools and colleges, "partners" commonly identified include business, trade unions, prisons, community organizations, native organizations, and media. Funding arrangements often encourage and sometimes require involvements among such organizations.