This UNESCO Chair programme aims to develop understanding about how adult learning – particularly for women and young adults - can help address inequalities in the poorest communities of the world.
Through investigating how or why adult literacy might facilitate or respond to processes of social transformation, including women’s empowerment, the Chair sets out to strengthen the interaction between formal, non-formal and informal learning in research, policy and programmes.
This is a partnership with university departments specialising in adult literacy, youth and community learning in Ethiopia (Bahir Dar University), Nepal (Tribhuvan University Research Centre for Educational Innovation and Development), Malawi (University of Malawi), and the Philippines (University of Santo Tomas).
New initiatives have been developed with key policy organisations in this field, including the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning in Hamburg and national literacy providers. Supporting a rights-based holistic approach to adult learning as the basis for active citizenship and improved livelihoods, the Chair aims to promote greater interaction between research and policy in areas such as vocational skill development, health, climate change, agriculture, gender and youth literacy and activism.
For instance, the Chair’s major funded research projects on family literacy and nutrition strengthened collaboration between and across partner universities, and involved co-hosted impact activities with UNESCO HQ and UIL: an international webinar, case studies for UIL LitBase and online learning module.
South-South exchanges of knowledge and experience have grown – with several exchange visits between partner institutions and virtual presentations / workshops contributing to courses or training programmes. Such interactions have enabled the UNESCO Chair teams to cross-fertilise ideas for educational change – particularly in a policy context.
The UEA UNESCO Chair contributes to theoretical and methodological innovation through research and academic publications, including the 2022 launch of the Bloomsbury Academic book series on Adult Learning, Literacy and Social Change, based on original research by UEA UNESCO Chair members. The regular public seminar/webinar series and UNESCO Chair Day conferences provide unique spaces for students, faculty, policy makers and practitioners to share ideas and develop future collaborative research initiatives.
More information on the work of this Chair - University of East Anglia
More information on the work of this Chair - Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia
Anna Robinson-Pant is Emeritus Professor at the School of Education and Lifelong Learning, University of East Anglia and at the School of Global Studies, University of Sussex.
Her ethnographic research in Nepal - Why eat green cucumber at the time of dying? Exploring the link between women’s literacy and development - received the UNESCO International Award for Literacy Research in 2001 and marked the start of her ongoing collaboration with UNESCO on adult literacy.
Anna was Global Research Coordinator for the UNESCO-IFAD project ‘Learning knowledge and skills for agriculture to improve rural livelihoods’ (2016) which led to the establishment of this UNESCO Chair. She is active in developing methodological approaches to researching across languages and cultures, and received the BMW Group Award for Intercultural Learning (Theory Category) 2007. She was elected President of the British Association of International and Comparative Education (BAICE) for 2018-19 and is currently President of the British Association for Literacy in Development (BALID).
