AN INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR Literacy in the Industrialized Countries A Focus on Practice The International Council for Adult Education is organizing an international seminar to be held in Toronto from October 13 to 16,1987. The main objective of the seminar is to provide a forum for discussion of literacy strategies, methods and practices. Resource persons for the seminar will include a team of literacy experts from developing countries, as well as educators and practitioners from the industrialized world. The seminar on "Literacy in the Industrialized countries: A Focus on Practice" is being organized by the International Council for Adult Education in cooperation with: Canadian Association for Adult Education (CAAE) Canadian Congress for Learning Opportunities for Women (CCLOW) Frontier College Institute Canadian d'Education des Adultes (ICEA) Labour Council of Metropolitian Toronto Metro Toronto Movement for Literacy (MTML) Movement for Canadian Literacy (MCL) Ontario Federation of Labour Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) Ontario Literacy Coalition Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Culture Regroupement des Groupes Populaires d'Alphabetisation du Québec Secretary of State of Canada World Literacy of Canada For more information contact: The ICAE Literacy Seminar Planning Committee, 29 Prince Arthur Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, MSR lB2.

The involvement of the learner is essential. All programs should recognize this principle of adult education.

We therefore recommend that:
Priority should be given to supporting programs which include learner participation in decisions regarding the content of their learning.

Programs which reflect the special needs of groups such as women, young people, native people, immigrants, and prisoners should be supported. Where practical, people should have the opportunity to become literate in their mother tongues.

Many government training programs which exist require literacy as a prerequisite. Currently, the number of literacy programs across the country is adequate to serve only a fraction of the literacy needs in Canada. The programs which do exist often do not have stable core funding.

We therefore recommend that:
Adequate program funding should be provided for the delivery of existing programs.

Funding should be made available for the development of new programs appropriate to the needs of learners.

Appropriate provision should be made to include literacy training throughout government training programs.

ACCESS TO INFORMATION

Educationally disadvantaged adults face real barriers in gaining access to the information they need.

We therefore recommend that:
All levels of government (as well as business, labour, and other groups) should acknowledge that these barriers exist. Staff awareness programs regarding the impact of literacy and illiteracy should be implemented. Programs and services should be examined to ensure that they are offered in a manner which guarantees full access by educationally disadvantaged adults.