Popular Education for Adult Literacy and Health Development in Indigenous Australia

Abstract

The focus of this paper is adult literacy, and the impact this has on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individual and community health. It directs attention to those Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people and adults who have not benefited from the formal school education system, and who, as a consequence, have very low levels of basic English language literacy. Analysing data from a range of sources, I suggest that these people comprise as much as 35% of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adult population nationally, and a much bigger proportion in some communities and regions. Moreover, they are key to improving overall health outcomes in the population as a whole, because they are among the people most at risk. Drawing on research in countries of the global South over recent decades, the paper then suggests that one of the most effective ways to improve health outcomes and foster health development is through a popular mass adult literacy campaign. Popular education is not formal education, of the kind provided by schools, TAFEs and universities. It is “non-formal” education, provided on a mass scale, to people in marginalised and disadvantaged communities, as part of wider social and political movements for equality. The paper concludes that this is the most appropriate form of education to deal with the massive social and economic inequality at the heart of the social determinants of Indigenous health.

Impact of a Community-Controlled Adult Literacy Campaign on Crime and Justice Outcomes in Remote Australian Aboriginal Communities

“…Lower levels of English literacy are considered one of many factors contributing to continued inequalities in health and social outcomes for Indigenous peoples (Boughton 2009;NACCHO 2021). One major area of inequality is crime and justice.…”

An Aboriginal Adult Literacy Campaign Pilot Study in Australia using Yes I Can

“…Our initial review of the literature (Boughton 2009) revealed that, while each campaign included characteristics specific to its country context, most had three key elements, or phases. Phase One, which we call 'socialisation and mobilisation', mobilises as many people as possible to take part, as learners, teachers, organisers and supporters, and seeks to enhance the understanding of society as a whole of the importance of literacy to wider social and economic development goals.…”

“…In 2009, we reported our experiences to a workshop convened by the CRCAH (since renamed the Lowitja Aboriginal Health Research Institute) and the NAALCSC was formed (Boughton 2009). With seed-funding from the Lowitja Institute, the NAALCSC spent two more years investigating the model and lobbying for funds before receiving an invitation from the Commonwealth to apply for funds to conduct this pilot study.…”

Studies of China's international aid to education: a systematic review of literature

“…International aid to education is different from other sources of aid like physical goods and economic loans that can be evaluated, administered and implemented tangibly (Tilak, 1988). Some scholars have argued that education in and of itself is not only a public good, but it is also an essential requirement for health, economic growth and poverty alleviation (Boughton, 2009; Cerych, 1965; Tilak, 1988). Empirical studies have shown that aid to education has contributed to the expansion of primary education in recipient countries; however, scholars have also acknowledged that there is a considerable gap between what aid does and what it could do, especially in improving educational quality (Riddell and Niño-Zarazúa, 2016).…”