Vie

UNESCO. Principal Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.
APPEAL training materials for continuing education personnel (ATLP-CE)

Vol. VIII: A manual for the development of learning centres. Bangkok, 1995.
127 p. (Asia-Pacific Programme of Education for All)
1. LITERACY PROGRAMMES - ASIA/PACIFIC. 2. UNIVERSAL

EDUCATION - ASIA/PACIFIC. 3. BASIC EDUCATION-
ASIA/PACIFIC. 4. CONTINUING EDUCATION - ASIA/PACIFIC.
I. Title. II. Series.
379.24
APPEAL Volume VIII
Training
Materials
A MANUAL
for FOR THE
Continuing DEVELOPMENT
Education OF LEARNING
Personnel CENTRES
(ATLP -CE)
UNESCO PRINCIPAL REGIONAL OFFICE

FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC
Bangkok, 1995
© UNESCO 1995
Published by the
UNESCO Principal Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
P.O. Box 967 Prakanongs Post Office
Bangkok 10110, Thailand
Printed in Thailand
The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout the

publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of
UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory,city or area or of its
authorities, orconcerning its frontiers or boundaries.
BKAP/95/M/186-2000
FOREWORD
Asia-Pacific Programme of Education for All (APPEAL) was launched in

1987 by UNESCO with the aim of promoting literacy and basic learning skills
through three programmes, (1) Eradication of Illiteracy (E0I), (2) Univer-
salization of Primary Education (UPE), and (3) Continuing Education for
Development (CED). The concept of a basic education programme was reinforced
and expanded by the World Declaration on Education for All adopted by the
Jomtien Conference held in 1990. This expanded vision of education will help
people first to acquire survival life skills through pre-school education, primary
education and functional literacy programmes, and second to acquire knowledge
and skills to improve their quality of life, and the attitude and habit of lifelong
learning through continuing education programmes.
The world is going through a process of change which is unprecedented in
its magnitude and implication. This phenomenon is especially noticeable in the
Asia-Pacific region where progress is much faster and implications are far more
profound. APPEAL has made a survey of continuing education programmes in
various countries. The survey revealed that the countries were organizing
continuing education programmes under different names such as post-literacy,
adult education, and non-formal education. The Second Meeting for Regional Co-
ordination of APPEAL (Bangkok, 1990) decided to classify continuing education
into six categories. These are (1) Post-Literacy Programmes (PLP), (2)
Equivalency Programmes (EP), (3) Quality of Life Improvement Programmes
(QLIP), (4) Income-Generating Programmes (IGP), (5) Individual Interest
Promotion Programmes (IIP), and (6) Future-Oriented Programmes (FOP).
Following the decision, UNESCO/PROAP developed the following manuals under
the general title of APPEAL Training Materials for Continuing Education
Personnel (ATLP-CE).
ATLP-CE Volume I : Continuing Education: New Policies and Directions
ATLP-CE Volume II : Post-Literacy Programmes (PLP)
ATLP-CE Volume III : Equivalency Programmes (EP)
ATLP-CE Volume IV : Quality of Life Improvement Programmes QLIP)
ATLP-CE Volume V : Income-Generating Programmes (IGP)
ATLP-CE Volume VI : Individual Interest Promotion Programmes (IIP)
ATLP-CE Volume VII : Future-Oriented Programmes (FOP)
ATLP-CE Volume VIII : A Manual for the Development of Learning Centres
These volumes have been conceived, developed and written by experts on
continuing education in the countries of the region. Therefore, they have
combined theory and practice into suitable manuals and made them flexible so
that each country can adopt. and adapt, them according to its situation and needs.
These volumes are designed to act as source material for launching continuing
education programmes. UNESCO/PROAP hopes that each country will develop
its own system of continuing education. A number of Regional and Sub-regional
Workshops have been held and more are planned to train key personnel who will
be working for continuing education in their countries. ATLP-CE provides basic
materials for such workshops. I hope the countries will also use them in their
national workshops.
I would like to express UNESCO’s grateful thanks to all of the experts
who have contributed to conceptualize, develop and write ATLP-CE I would like
to request all the experts of continuing education to make suggestions to improve
the series continuously. I firmly believe that in this ever-changing panorama
practitioners of education should not be silent spectators but the main actors to
induce change in the right direction.
T.M. Sakya
Co-ordinator APPEAL
CONTENTS
Introduction ............................................................................................... i
Chapter One : Why Learning Centres are Needed........................ 1

Chapter Two : Developing the Concept of a Learning
Centre in Different Socio-Economic
and Cultural Contexts................................ 6
Chapter Three : General and Specific Functions of
Learning Centres...................................... 17
Chapter Four : Developing Programmes for
Chapter Five : How to Organize and Strengthen
Chapter Six : Physical Setting of Learning Centres -
Buildings and Furnishings........................... 95
Chapter Seven : How to Promote Linkage with Community
Development Activities, Networking
with Formal Education and Various
Development Agencies...............................111
Annex
List of Participants ......................................................................131

INTRODUCTION
Asia-Pacific Programme of Education for All [APPEAL] consists of

the following three interrelated programmes, i.e.
1. Eradication of Illiteracy [EOI],
2. Universalization of Primary Education [UPE], and
3. Continuing Education for Development [CED].
APPEAL was born out of the Fifth Regional Conference of Ministers of
Education and Those Responsible for Economic Planning (1985). The World
Conference on Education for All held in Jomtien in 1990 expanded the vision of
Education for All and reinforced the resolve of Member States to provide basic
education for all by the turn of this century.
The UNESCO Principal Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (PROAP)
has been working very closely with Member States to develop various learning
materials and training manuals to improve Primary Education and Literacy
Programmes under APPEAL. As a result of success in these areas, a large
number of literates have been generated. Very few of them, however, could
pursue formal secondary and tertiary education after acquiring basic education.
Therefore, a need has arisen to develop continuing education opportunities
outside of the formal education system.
The world as a whole is going through a process of change which is
unprecedented in its magnitude and implications. This phenomenon is especially
noticeable in the Asia-Pacific region where progress is much faster and
implications are far more profound. Therefore, the First Meeting for Regional
Co-ordination of APPEAL (Bangkok 1988) recommended that the UNESCO
Principal Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (PROAP) develop concepts,
methods and materials for different types of continuing education programmes.
Following the recommendation, APPEAL made a survey of continuing education
programmes in various countries. The survey revealed that the countries were
organizing continuing education programmes under different names such as
post-literacy, adult education, recurrent education, and so on. The second
meeting for Regional Co-ordination of APPEAL (Bangkok, 1990) decided to
classify continuing education into six categories. These are: (1) Post-Literacy
Programmes (PLP); (2) Equivalency Programmes (EP); (3) Quality of Life
Improvement Programmes (QLIP); (4) Income- Generating Programmes (IGP);
(5) Individual Interest. Promotion Programmes (IIP); (6)Future- Oriented
Programmes (FOP). In order to develop professional competency of personnel
working for continuing education, UNESCO has developed the following
manuals.
ATLP-CE Volume I : Continuing Education: New Policies and Directions
ATLP-CE Volume II : Post-Literacy Programmes (PLP)
ATLP-CE Volume III : Equivalency Programmes (EP)
ATLP-CE Volume IV : Quality of Life Improvement
Programmes (QLIP)
ATLP-CE Volume V : Income-Generating Programmes (IGP)
ATLP-CE Volume VI : Individual Interest Promotion
Programmes (IIP)
ATLP-CE Volume VII : Future-Oriented Programmes (FOP)
From 9 to 16 August 1994, a Technical Working Group Meeting was held
in Pattaya, Thailand to prepare a manual, ATLP-CE Volume VIII: A Manual for
the Development of Learning Centres. UNESCO/PROAP expresses its heart-felt
thanks to the National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan (NFUAJ)
for its financial contribution to meet part of the expenses of the Meeting.
The Technical Working Group Meeting was attended by experts from
Australia, Bangladesh, China, India, Japan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand (a
list of participants is given in the Annex).
This volume (volume VIII of the ATLP-CE series) should be read in
association with the first volume in the series, Continuing Education: New
Policies and Directions. That volume, however, deals with Learning Centres
ii
very broadly while at the same time limiting them to their roles within
Continuing Education per se. Learning Centres, however, can also contribute to
basic education and literacy programmes for younger people outside the formal
education system and this present volume also discusses those aspects of their
function.
Learning Centres may be defined as local educational institutions outside
the formal education system for villages or urban areas usually set up and
managed by the local people to provide various learning opportunities for
community development and improvement of people’s quality of life.
This volume discusses how various types of Learning Centres cater for
life-long learning, have an outreach approach, promote community development,
and are mandated from and usually managed by the local community. It also
reviews how they organize programmes which are responsive to and reflect the
needs and aspirations of the members of the community which they serve.
The general and specialized activities of Learning Centres are reviewed
and discussed, and guidelines are provided for the development of various types
of programmes and activities. Organizational and management aspects are
reviewed and aspects of linkages with community development: activities are
considered together with networking with formal education, development
agencies and other relevant groups. This volume provides many examples of
Learning Centres in action.
This volume is intended as a manual to help Learning Centre promoters
and managers set up and organize Learning Centres and also how to revitalize
and change Centres seeking new directions.
iii
Chapter One
WHY LEARNING CENTRES ARE NEEDED
A. Society Under Change

The world is at present undergoing a profound transformation due to
many factors. In recent years, there have been enormous scientific and technical
advances, socio-economic changes, political changes, environmental deterioration,
growth in human population, increasing international interdependence and a
trend towards globalization. These trends are especially obvious in Asia and the
Pacific.
The Asia-Pacific region contains three quarters of the world human
population scattered over the largest area. Population policies of several
countries are showing some signs of success but are less successful in others.
Growth of population in many countries remains unacceptably high. As a result,
while illiteracy rates decline in the face of mass literacy campaigns and related
educational programmes, the absolute, number of illiterates has continued to
increase and it is only now that there are some signs of a halt to this increase.
As development accelerates, both benefits and losses emerge. Living
standards increase as the economic well-being of a country improves. But these
benefits are frequently undermined by a deterioration of the natural en-
vironment and the emergence of new social problems such as an excessive
materialistic outlook, a degree of selfish individualism and the emergence of
groups who have become alienated from the mainstream of development - slum
dwellers, the homeless, street children, destitute women and unemployed youth.
Acute social problems occur in some countries including drug abuse, the. AIDS
epidemic and an increase in violent crime.
In almost all countries, the world of work is undergoing dramatic changes
and these in turn have affected human relationships, especially family life.
Working life and employment, production techniques and consumption patterns
have all changed in the face of restructured economies which have their basis in
increasingly high levels of science and technology. Under such circumstances
A manual for the development of learning centres
even highly educated individuals find it hard to keep pace with technological
obsolescence and the need for the continual upgrading of knowledge and skills.
Because of the negative effects of these development forces a greater
effort is now being made to emphasize a more humanistic approach to
development. This approach is based more on human values and equity by
advocating the need for sharing and caring, by stressing sustainable develop-
ment, containment of population, sensitive resource management and attention
to the needs of disadvantaged groups, especially those socially at risk.
B. The Educational Response

It has long been recognized that education is a powerful response to meet
the varying needs of society under transformation. Through education, solutions
can be found to many of the acute problems arising out, of social change.
A literate adult population is the basis for any meaningful development
effort, especially one seeking a humanistic approach. Without education, no
programme of development can be sustained. Democracy in its genuine form
requires participation by responsible and informed citizens, and participation is
the key to successful, humanistically oriented development.
As a society becomes more diversified and complex, needs and problems
to be addressed by education become equally diversified and complex, and
sometimes unpredictable trends emerge. The educational response must be
directly pertinent to the nature. of the problems it is addressing and must be
flexible enough to meet changing needs.
School or schooling has long been conceived as the sole educational
institution and form of education. But schooling or formal education on its own is
now seen to be inadequate for providing the whole educational response needed
for the modern world. It now must give way to the new concept of lifelong
learning and the idea of continuing education which creates opportunities for
formal, non-formal and informal learning throughout life. Schools will continue
to play a fundamental role but clearly need to be redefined within the framework
of lifelong education.
2
Why learning centres are needed
C. The Emergence of Non-formal Education

In the less well-developed countries of Asia and the Pacific, the formal
system of education was for a time, and in some instances remains at present,
unable to play even its traditional role of providing literacy and basic education
for all and higher education for the rapidly changing needs of a restructured
society. Because of population pressures, poverty and other social forces, not all
countries can provide school places for all school-age pupils. In addition, in such
countries drop-out rates remain high. In response to this problem, many
countries have instituted systems of Non-formal Education (NFE) to provide
basic literacy programmes for adults, to give primary and secondary educational
equivalency programmes for youth and adults, usually by alternative means, and
to foster vocationally oriented and community development activities for groups
and communities.
This system of non-formal education has grown rapidly but somewhat
haphazardly and its development in the region has been uneven. One of the
greatest weaknesses of NFE in many countries has been an inadequate
infrastructure, certainly as compared with the well-organized system of formal
education. Institutional development frequently remains weak, levels are not
clearly demarcated and lines of responsibility poorly defined.
Another weakness has been that the programmes and activities provided
under NFE have often been narrow in scope and limited in impact and while
contributing significantly to lifelong learning and the growth of continuing
education, have really only paralleled the work normally expected of a well
organized and efficient system of formal education. For example, many NFE
programmes addressed the problem of adult illiteracy by organizing one-off
literacy campaigns and by providing temporary literacy classes. They addressed
the problem of school drop-out by providing equivalency programmes but without
any attempt to ensure that the newly acquired knowledge and skills were
applied in real life or that students completing equivalency courses had
opportunities to continue to learn. They attempted to solve the problem of
unemployment by organizing temporary or short-term skills training but with no
follow-up to ensure that employment actually occurred or that the community
benefited from the training.
3
So while non-formal educational systems made a big difference by

providing educational opportunities for those who missed or dropped out of
formal schooling, they did not always encourage people to continue to learn
throughout life and did not adequately provide for personal and community
growth. Further, they did not always make it possible for beneficiaries to relate
their limited education to community development.
D. The Rise of Learning Centres in Developing Countries

As NFE systems in developing countries expanded, it became apparent to
those organizing the systems that these problems and weaknesses needed to be
addressed by a more holistic response in terms of improved infrastructure and by
broadening the scope and duration of NFE activities. In addition, it became
apparent that in poorer communities it was unrealistic to expect the community
itself to take all the initiative in picking up from where NFE activities left off and
applying the newly acquired but limited knowledge and skills to foster
meaningful sustained personal and community development.
The idea of providing an infrastructure and an institutional base for
holistic lifelong education gradually emerged and became operational through
the establishment of local community-based Learning Centres, usually organized
and managed by the people themselves. These Centres took over many of the
roles of NFE but did so in a way which enabled beneficiaries (i) to continue to
learn after completing specific NFE programmes and activities, and so promoted
the concept of lifelong learning and (ii) to apply knowledge and skills in
continuous and sustained community development.
Initially, most Centres were established in rural communities and were
built into an overall programme of rural development linking together the
initiatives not only of NFE but of other relevant areas such as housing, health,
industrial development and agriculture. Non-Government Organizations
(NGOs) also established Centres or worked together with Government in
establishing and running Centres. The Learning Centre movement expanded to
cater to urban areas and to broaden its activities still further to address a variety
of social problems and issues. It gradually emerged as a network of community-
focused institutions providing continuing education -- providing expanding
4
Why learning centres are needed
opportunities for lifelong learning for all -- and with a focus on the broader issues
of community well-being and community development.
E. Learning Centres in Industrialized Countries

In industrialized countries, systems of non-formal education did not
emerge as a separate movement complementing formal education. This was
because the formal system itself was adequate to meet basic educational needs,
providing primary and secondary education for all and alternative education for
those needing qualifications and certificates at any age and under almost any
circumstances. But even so the so-called formal system did not meet all the
needs of a rapidly changing society, especially one undergoing major structural
changes in the work force. The formal institutions tended to be time-bound and
certification oriented and so were not suitable for all aspects of lifelong education,
especially the demands for training rapidly changing specific work-related skills,
the requirements of special groups such as the aged, unemployed youth and
ethnic minorities, or the increasing demands by adults for educational
programmes aimed at solving social problems such as the creative use of leisure
time. Community members therefore began to demand something more from
education than the formal programmes offered by schools, colleges and
universities. Many government agencies, usually local government bodies, many
NGOs, and private enterprise institutions, industry and the formal education
system itself, responded by establishing networks of adult Learning Centres
which provided a broader range of educational opportunities and which promoted
lifelong learning. Independently of the Learning Centre movement in less well
developed countries, Learning Centres have become very significant agencies for
continuing education in industrialized societies.
F. Conclusion
This chapter has discussed how Learning Centres emerged and why they
were needed. Chapter Two defines more precisely just what is meant by the
term “Learning Centre” and discusses how Learning Centres differ in response to
the social context and levels of development of the communities which they serve.
5
Chapter Two
DEVELOPING THE CONCEPT OF
A LEARNING CENTRE IN DIFFERENT SOCIO-
ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL CONTEXTS
A. Introduction
This chapter has two important aims:
♦ to show promoters of Learning Centres how to take the first step in

determining what kind of Centre is needed especially in regard to the
overall concept of the Centre and its objectives and scope;
♦ to show promoters and managers of Centres how to reactivate and
revitalize a Centre which needs to expand its programme or change
its direction.
The chapter does this by showing how the concept of a Learning Centre
can and should be derived from the social context in which the Centre is situated.
Social context, in fact, determines all aspects of a Learning Centre and this is a
continuing theme throughout this volume. To emphasize the importance of
social context, five examples of development situations are introduced in this
chapter and are referred to in other chapters. The five situations are as follows:
The Five Exemplar Development Situations Disscussed Throughout this

Volume
1. Social groups at the level of survival.
2. Underprivileged social groups.
3. Rural development situations.
4. A society in transition from agriculture to industry.
5. An affluent urban community in an industrialized society.
The chapter touches on another important element inherent in the

concept of Learning Centres. Just as the mutual relationship between teacher
6
Developing the concept of a learning centre
and learner determines the quality of most educational encounters, the

relationship between the promoter or initiator of a Learning Centre and the
beneficiaries of the Centre will prove crucial in determining success. This
particular aspect, however, is dealt with more fully in Chapter Five which
discusses how to organize and strengthen Learning Centres.
Before discussing either of these issues further, however, let us first
clarify in general terms what a Learning Centre is and what it is not.
B. Defining Learning Centres

a) Definition
In determining the concept of a Learning Centre, promoters may find use
in understanding how Learning Centres are defined in ATLP-CE Volume I. The
present volume, ATLP-CE Volume VIII, broadens the scope a little to include
basic education and programmes to address the needs of younger people not
reached by the formal education system. This has been done to accommodate the
need of those countries which have not yet attained universal primary education
and which need Learning Centres that cater for all age groups. The definition
used in this volume, therefore, is as follows:
Local educational institutions outside the formal education system, for villages or
urban areas usually set up and managed by local people to provide various learning
opportunities for community development and improvement of people’s quality of life.
The definition has important implications. Learning Centres play a key

role in personal and societal development. THEY ARE AN EFFECTIVE MECHANISM FOR
EMPOWERING INDIVIDUALS AND PROMOTING COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. They
achieve this by providing opportunities for all members of society to engage in

lifelong learning.This idea is illustrated below in Figure 2.1.
b) Learning Centres as Contrasted with Formal Educational Institutions

As mentioned in Chapter One, Learning Centres emerged because of
certain limitations within formal education. In most developing countries, they
were developed to facilitate the work of non-formal education systems. In
7
NITY DEVELO
U PM
M
M
Empowering
EN
CO
T
Children
LITERACY Women
Provided
Lifelong Learning by a leads Youth
Learning to The Aged
Centre
CONTINUING Farmers
EDUCATION Workers
...And Others
Figure 2.1 Learning centres are mechanisms for community

development and the empowerment of individuals
industrialized countries they arose from community demands to extend

opportunties for lifelong learning. Therefore, Learning Centres are different
from formal educational institutions. Whereas formal educational institutions
tend to have an inward focus, are time-bound, have a certificate orientation and
offer restricted programmes which do not necessarily reflect immediate needs of
the community, Learning Centers tend to have the following characteristics:
♦ They cater for lifelong learning.

♦ They reach out to the community.
♦ They promote the development of a community.
♦ Their programmes are responsive to and reflect the needs and aspira-
tions of members of the community.
♦ They draw their mandate from the community and serve the
community.
These ideas are summarized below in Figure 2.2 which contrasts a formal
education institution such as a school with a typical Learning Centre.
8
A SCHOOL A LEARNING
CENTRE
1. Focus on
Outreach
1. Inward Focus 2. Lifelong
2. Time Bound Opportunities
3. Certificate EDUCATIONAL 3. Community NON-FORMAL
FORMAL
Oriented PROGRAMMES Development AND INFORMAL
4. Restrictive Orientation
Programmes 4. Responsive
Programmes
Figure 2.2 : While formal educational institutions such

as a school and a Learning Centre both have
educational roles, each has distinctive
characteristics.
This is not of course to say, however, that formal education institutions

such as schools or colleges cannot establish Learning Centres. In fact, many do
establish excellent Centres as part of their outreach or extension activities and
community services.
c) Learning Centres as Multi-purpose Institutions

Because, as mentioned above, Learning Centres have outreach and
community development roles, they must not only be concerned with a narrow
range of activities such as those provided under a non-formal equivalency
programme, but they must be multipurpose and multifunctional.
A reading centre or a literacy class is, under this definition, not a
Learning Centre. If a temporary literacy class should become permanent and
institutionalized and add other functions such as post-literacy or quality of life
improvement activities, then it emerges as a Learning Centre as defined here.
Further, an individual learning alone or with the help of a one-to-one facilitator
9
cannot be said to constitute a Learning Centre. Such a situation could, however,

be fostered as part of Learning Centre programme. The concept of a Learning
Centre thus also includes by definition its multipurpose nature.
d) Learning Centres within Other Institututions

The possibility of Learning Centres being established by formal educa-
tional institutions has already been mentioned above. The activities of such
Centres, however, need to be clearly demarcated from the mainstream activities
of their parent bodies, whether they be located physically on their premises or
elsewhere.
In some countries, however, educational activities take place in agencies
and institutions which normally would not be regarded as having an educational
role. In fact, such a development is a measure of the extent to which a particular
community has become a learning society (see ATLP-CE Volume I). These
agencies and institutions may include factories, farms, commercial organizations,
government offices and the like. If these have closed, inwardly-looking
programmes providing training and education in only one narrow area, they are
not true Learning Centres in the spirit of this volume. They do become Learning
Centres when they broaden their programmes to enhance personal or community
development in a wider scale.
C. Determining the Purposes and Scope of a Particular

Learning Centre
General definitions of Learning Centres, having been decided, promoters
can move on to determine a clear concept for the specific Learning Centre they
intend to establish or to redevelop. Two important factors come into play here:
i. social context
ii. the desired present and future relationships between promoters and
beneficiaries
10
a) Social Context
Social context is one of the two key factors in developing a concept for a
particular Learning Centre. Since a Learning Centre is, by definition, responsive
to local needs, the promoters should have a clear understanding of the social
situation and the problems and concerns of individuals in the community where
the Centre is located. Ideally, this will lead the promoters to develop
programmes and activities in the Centre which address these problems and
issues in an integrated manner.
This process is illustrated in Figure 2.3, where some examples of social
contexts are given along with comment on how these have been responded to by
Learning Centres.
b) Influence of Promoter - Beneficiary Relationships

Learning Centres may be established and managed by a Government
agency or instrumentality or by a Non-Gevernment Organization such as a
charity, a religious group or a social welfare agency or by various combinations of
these. They may also be established by the community itself without any
involvement by an outside agency. Various relationships exist between the
promoter and the beneficiaries and the nature and quality of the relationship
generally changes with the level of development of the community and the scope
and effectiveness of the Centre programmes. The nature of this relationship is
subtle and must be understood and treated with tact and sensitivity if the Centre
is to be effective. Possible relationships are listed in Figure 2.4 .
Each type of relationship has certain advantages and disadvantages. It is
important to consider these from the start since they will strongly influence the
extent to which a Centre can effectively respond to its social context. In the
longer term, an important objective would be to foster the independent
management of any Centre by its beneficiaries. These issues are essentially
organizational matters and are discussed in more detail in Chapter Five.
11
Development Situation Example of Social Context Possible Initial Response by the

Learning Centre
1. Social groups at the An isolated hill tribe at a minimum level Community could establish a task
level of survival. of survival. High levels of adult illiteracy force for short and longer term
(85 per cent). All people well below projects such as introduction of a
poverty line. new cash crop and or a tree planting
programme gradually involving
improved levels of literacy and gen-
eral functional education.
2. Underprivileged Underprivileged women in a poor rural Focus on increasing access to

social groups. community (80% adult illiteracy). education by women and fostering
their participation in society.
Activities could include distance
education programmes. Stress also
on improving standards of functional
literacy.
3. Rural development Rural village community dependent on Focus on income generation and
situation. one cash crop (rice) and with no other qualtity of life improvement activities
sources of income.Generally lowstandard perhaps based on introduction of
of living. Illiteracy level 40 per cent. small animal farming. Post-literacy
activities then introduced linked to
the development.
4. A society in transi- Generally literate rural community Development of self help skills
tion from agriculture rapidly urbanizing but in need of im- relevant to infrastructure improve-
to industry. proved infrastructure (e.g.good roads.) ment including project management
skills.
5. Affluent urban Highly literate urban community in an Self help activities intiated by
community in industrialized country. Considerable people in retirement concentrating
industrialized amount of leisure time for most adults. on creative use of leisure. Pro-
society. Some crime mainly by socially alienated grammes for unemployed and disad-
youth. vantaged youth. Both programmes
supported by advisory and coun-
selling services.
Figure 2.3 A Learning Centre intially responds to specific

social situations but as it develops it broadens its
objectives and activities.
Types of Relationships
A. GO/NGO taking the more active role in planning or establishing a Centre.

B. GO/NGO in equal partnership with beneficiaries in a Centre.
C. Beneficiaries request an initiating agency (GO/NGO) to start a Centre.
D. Community starts a Centre on its own initiative.
Figure 2.4 Types of relationships which may exist between a

promoter of a Learning Centre and its beneficiaries.
12
D. Learning Centres in Action

As discussed in the previous sections, in practice the type of Learning
Centre operating in any particular socio-cultural situation is determined by both
the situation and the type of relationship existing between the promoter and the
members of the community served by the Centre. In this section, examples are
described of Centres in each of the five situations listed in Figure 2.3 and
organized under various partnership relationships.
a) Example 1
Situation 1 Centre serving an isolated hill tribe at a minimum

level of survival wth the Centre established on
Social Group at
government initiative as part of its rural development
Level of Survival
programme.
The Learning Centre staff live in the community and work side by side
with the villagers. They introduce new crops to the region and demonstrate that
these can increase income and so improve quality of life. Gradually, functional
literacy activities are introduced which raise general awareness and a positive
attitude to social change. In this way, the local people accept the introduction of
new crops which allow them to remain in their own community. They, therefore,
welcome the basic programme and are willing to paticipate in other activities
such as basic literacy and post-literacy programmes. The Centre is supported
financially by the government but largely managed by local committee which
becomes more active as the functions of the Centre are broadened.
b) Example 2
Situation 2 Centre established by an NGO involved in a national

Women in Development (WID) Programme with
Underprivileged
Centre located in a rural area with the women mainly
Social Group
illiterate field workers and with large families.
13
The Centre has the advantage of support and previous experience of the
national WID programme and organizes general educational and local and craft
activities for the women in private homes. Gradually, literacy and post-literacy
activities are added and family planning and quality of life improvement projects
are activated. Many of the women are able to supplement their income by
establishing craft co-operatives and so break through the subsistence agricultural
cycle. Some reduction in birth rate occurs.
c) Example 3
Situation 3 Because of low prices, a rural village community of rice

farmers experience financial problems and request support
Rural from the government, which establishes a Centre to assist
Development
in diversifying income generating activities. Centre run by
Situation
government and community in equal partnership.
Since the villagers themselves perceive the need for change and approach
the government for help, they are enthusiastic supporters of the idea of
introducing alternative income generating activities such as small animal
husbandry. It is therefore possible for the Centre to link this development with
back-up educational programmes and to add basic literacy and post-literacy
activities. The Centre then initiates Quality of Life Improvement Projects under
the general management of the local community. Government involvement and
community support continue in a partnership agreement.
d) Example 4
Situation 4 A Centre providing infrastructure development in a rural

community in transition to urbanization was established by
A Society in a local government authority at the request of the
Transition from community and given cooperative support by a local NGO.
Agriculture to
Industry
14
Residents of a small rural community on the edge of a large newly

industrialized city agree that its future involves a more rapid integration into
and co-operation with the neighbouring city. Thus they approach local
government authorities to assist them in building a new road link between the
village and a nearby main road. The government authorities decide to respond
by establishing a Learning Centre which will give the community the necessary
road building skills, and which will supervise construction of the road. This
works very effectively and the community then requests additional development
projects with the necessary educational and training back-up provided by an
NGO based in this nearby city. In this way, the Centre becomes responsively
multi-functional and this in the longer term facilitates the successful absorption
of the community into urban life.
e) Example 5
Situation 5 A group of retired people in the suburbs of a large

city in an industrialized society hold a public
Affluent Urban Commu- meeting to establish a Centre to allow elderly
nity people to pursue creative hobbies and to enjoy
in an Industrialized appropriate social and sporting activities. The
Society. Centre was managed and funded by the parti-
cipants themselves.
By mobilizing local resources and seeking support from the local business
community, social support groups and relevant government agencies, the Centre
provides appropriate recreational and personal development activities for citizens
50 years of age and over. As the programmes and activities of the Centre
expand, the participants extend its services to other community groups including
migrants and unemplyed youth. Emphasis is given to raising general
educational standards and to giving the unemployed marketable work skills. The
intial impetus, however, was action by a specific category of the community to
meet specific social needs.
15
E. Conclusion
This chapter has stressed that Learning Centres are highly varied,
serving different needs in different contexts. Yet they have certain general
characteristics which define them as unique educational institutions. How they
are defined and function in particular cases is determined by an interaction
between the socio-economic and cultural situation on the one hand and by the
type of relationship existing between the promoting agency and the beneficiaries
of the Centre on the other. The nature and quality of this interaction not only
defines the characteristics of a Centre but determines whether or not its
programme will be effective.
The next chapter (Chapter Three) reviews the functions of Learning
Centres in more detail. In reading Chapter Three, keep in mind the key
contexual issues discussed here.
16
Chapter Three
GENERAL AND SPECIFIC FUNCTIONS
OF LEARNING CENTRES
A. Purpose of a Learning Centre

The main purpose of a Learning Centre at the community level is to
promote human development by providing opportunity for lifelong learning for all
people in the community. In a Learning Centre, activities are community-based
and democratically oriented to meet individual needs and to cater for a variety of
life-styles. Therefore, in addition to the work of particular Centres, learning
networks emerge around them involving many individuals, organizations and
agencies such as people with local wisdom, local resource persons workplace
situations, schools, government organizations, government and non-government
agencies and so on. Linkages also occur with nearby Learning Centres and with
other educational resource agencies, usually at higher levels. This latter aspect
is especially important for mobilizing resources needed for the various activities
of each Centre (see Chapter Six for further details).
Learning Centres and their associated networks allow individuals to
acquire knowledge and skills through structured activities and by promoting
informal learning and encouraging people to make and follow their own
educational plans and programmes. Ideally, then, the ultimate purpose of
Learning Centres is to help a commuinty to become self-reliant in education and
to emerge as a true learning society within a democratic context.
As discussed in Chapter Two, in any given society or community, as needs
and requirements vary, Learnng Centres become multifunctional to ensure they
remain relevant and effective. As a particular community develops, there-fore, its
Learning Centres develop too, becoming more elaborate and performing a
broader range of functions and services. An important role for a Learning
Centre, therefore, is to be responsive to demand and to change with changing
circumstances. The ideas expressed here are summarized in Figure 3.1
17
Multiple Educational
Functions
Educational activities Increasing opportunties

developing and broadening for lifelong learning and
as a community develops growth of a Learning Society
Fostered by a
LEARNING CENTRE
and its associated
Community Network
Meeting individual needs Promoting meaningful

and catering for varied life community development
styles and well being
Supported by
many individuals,
societal institutions
and agencies
Figure 3.1 The functions of a Learning Centre are multipurpose

and oriented towards personal and community
development
18
General and specific functions of learning centres
B. Functions of Learning Centres

Learning Centres have a range of functions which are common to almost
all. These are operational in varying degrees according to the socio-economic and
cultural situation of the community served by the Centre. An important task for
the promoters and managers of Centres, therefore, is to ensure that the Centre
performs these functions appropriately to meet the genuine needs of the
beneficiaries.
Essentially, Learning Centres have four groups of functions.
a) Education and Trianing
b) Community Information and Dissemination of Resources
c) Community Development
d) Co-ordination and Networking, especially between GOs and NGOs
The functions are listed in Figure 3.2 and discussed below:
- GENERAL FUNCTIONS OF LEARNING - DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS IN

CENTRES DIFFERENT SOCIO-ECONOMIC
AND CULTURAL SITUATIONS
Learning Centres providing positive
venues for learning and development For Example
I. Education and Training
- Provision of education and training 1. Social groups at level of
activities for the community. survival.
- Training of NFE and CE Personnel.
II. Community Information and 2. Underprivileged social groups.
Dissemination of Resources
- Community information and resource 3. Rural development situations.
services.
- Advisory and counselling services. 4. Society in transition from
III. Community Development agriculture to industry.
- General community activities.
- Community development projects. 5. Affluent urban society in an
- Future visioning. industrialized country.
IV. Co-ordination and Networking
- Provision of linkages between GOs and
NGOs.
- Promotion of lifelong learning.
Figure 3.2: The functions of Learning Centres are expressed

differently in different societal contexts
19
Unlike schools and other formal education institutions, each Learning

Centre must respond to the unique circumstances of the community it serves.
Each Learning Centre, therefore, performs its general functions in different ways
in response to local needs. In determining its specific functions, therefore, any
particular Learning Centre needs to consider issues such as the following:
♦ The present and changing socio-economic and cultural situation of the

community it serves-see Chapter 2.
♦ The type of relationship existing between the Learning Centre
promoters and the beneficiaries of the Centre-see Chapter 2.
♦ The development trends in the community and their relationship to
national development.
♦ The capacity of the Learning Centre to respond in terms of its human,
material and financial resources.
♦ The longer-term capacity of the Centre and its potential for
broadening its activities to meet new situations.
♦ The immediate and likely future needs of individuals in the
community.
a) Education and Training

A Learning Centre, first of all, is a place where people can learn outside of
formal education for the purpose of self-enrichment and self-development. In
particular, it is a place where they can learn to learn and to live effectively in a
rapidly changing society. It is concerned with fostering the habits of lifelong
learning, especially encouraging people to read in areas of their interest and
concern, and to help them formulate and achieve specific learning objectives.
To achieve this, the Centre as a learning venue must provide a supportive
positive atmosphere and use non-formal and informal methods to build self-
esteem and enhance confidence. Since in most cases participants will be youth or
adults, the venue must be suitable for use by adults and must use teaching
mathods appropriate for them.
20
Learning venues must also be appropriate for the particular situation

served by the Centre. If it is mainly focusing on the needs of underprivileged
groups such as illiterate women in a rural community, considerable sensitivity
should be shown in regard to meeting places and perhaps much of the actual
learning may occur in people’s homes. For a society in transition from
agriculture to industry, the venue may be the meeting hall of the village
management committee.
i) Provision of Education and Training Courses and Activities for the

Community
The central function of Learning Centres, therefore, is to provide
education and training programmes from basic levels to advanced knowledge and
skills according to the needs of their clientele. There needs will be different in
different socio-economic and cultural situations (Figure 3.2)
Clients may be individuals seeking specific skills, or families needing
support services and income-generating programmes. Clients could be organ-
izations or businesses or institutions seeking organizational renewal pro-
grammes with a special focus on preparing for the future. Clients could also be
employers seeking to upgrade the qualifications and skills of their staff.
Moreover, education and training programmes of Learning Centres may be used
by GOs and NGOs for empowerment of disadvantaged groups such as ethnic
minorities, women or street children. Whoever the clients may be, the success of
programmes depends to a large extent on the accurate diagnosis of clients’
requirements, well-developed teaching materials and appropriate instructional
approches.
As a community develops, its educational needs change. For example, as
universal primary education is achieved and adult illiteracy is eradicated, non-
formal basic education becomes less of a priority and greater attention must be
given to Post-literacy Programmes (PLP) and income-generating activities (IGP).
As fewer and fewer people in a community have incomes below the poverty line,
a Learning Centre must change its emphasis from IGP to Quality of Life
Improvement (QLIP) and perhaps to Individual Interest Programmes
21
(IIP). Thus each Learning Centre should consider which of the folloing types of
educational programmes it should emphasize according to its particular cir-
cumstances.
♦ Basic functional literacy for children not in formal education.
♦ Funcitonal literacy and life skills for children and adults.
♦ Post-literacy Programmes (PLP)
♦ Equivalency Programmes (EP)
♦ Income Generating Programmes (IGP)
♦ Quality of Life Improvement Programmes (QLIP)
♦ Individual Interest Promotion Programmes (FOCEP)
Communities at the level of survival may give priority to basic functional
literacy and post-literacy. A rural development society may wish to add income-
generation and quality of life improvement programmes. An affluent urban
society may stress individual interest and future oriented activities.
A particular Learning Centre should as far as possible also respond to
specific social problems and situations according to need. Areas where
educational programmes may be needed include the following, and those which
are given greatest emphasis will depend on the particular development situation.
♦ Family life improvement and parenting
♦ Environment protection
♦ Minimizing specific social problems such as drug abuse, the AIDS
epidemic
♦ Preserving local cultures, local wisdom and traditional ways of life
♦ Job replacement and retraining for a restructured economy
♦ Other relevant activities
Similarly, the needs of special groups may have to be addressed. These
groups could include the following:
♦ Children not in formal education
♦ Disadvantaged and underprivileged groups
♦ The elderly
22
♦ Minorities
♦ Unemployed
♦ Migrants
Which group should receive the highest priority emerges clearly from the
prevailing socio-economic context.
ii) Training of NFE and CE Personnel

As the functions of a Learning Centre expand and as it takes on more
sophisticated roles, the professional demands on its staff increase. At first, it
may be possible to get by with on-the-job training for the Centre staff but
eventually systematic training is required to ensure a high level of pro-
fessionalism in all aspects of the work at the Centre.
A training programme for basic literacy personnel is discribed in ATLP
Volumes 1 to 12 and for continuing education personnel in Chapter Nine of
Volumes I of ATLP-CE. The CE training is for three levels of personnels.
Level A: Senior administrators and policy makers
Level B: Provincial/district supervisors and trainers of trainers
Level C: Teachers and filed consultants in continuing education
There are two dimensions to this CE staff training programme, namely (i)
training required for the general duties performed in all areas of CE and (ii)
specialized training required for specific types of programmes and activities, e.g.
IGP, IIP and so on. The training described in ATLP-CE Volume I is modular and
based on a task analysis.
In practice, it is clear that not all training could be provided by any one
Learning Centre and there could be a division of labour. Some centres could
provide training only for Level A, others for the several duties of Level B and
others for the general and specific duties of Level C personnel. All centres would
need to be involved in some way or other in the training of trainers - that is, with
the teaching of its own personnel and with the personnel of other Centres.
23
Another important aspect of the training role of Learning Centres would

be to help various community agencies which provide CE to design and present
high-quality activities. This is especially important in a learning society where
many agencies not traditionally involved in education in fact become providers of
CE, e.g. factories, farms, commercial organizations and so on. A further point is
that volunteerism has a very important role in basic education and CE. While
volunteers may be well skilled in the areas of their expertise, they may need
training in specific subjects such as leadership, communications, course design
and so on.
Training should be flexible and responsive and be competency-based so
that each individual receives training only in areas of need, using cost-effective
delivery modes and training methods.
As Learning Centre networks expand and as particular Centres grow and
become more and more multifunctional with expanding functions and more
diverse programmes, the demand for competent CE staff increases. All Centres
should accept some responsibility for staff development and training. Even the
smaller Centres serving communities at relatively low levels of development can
play some role. They can do so by the following means.
♦ Providing on-the-job training for both full-time and part-time staff by
a modest form of master-teacher/student-teacher arrangement.
♦ Utilizing printed and AN training materials.
♦ Encouraging staff to attend short-term training courses offered by
larger centres, NGOs or formal education institutions, perhaps at
provincial level.
♦ Involving local people, including those attending courses and other
activities of the Centre, in the work of the Centre as assistants and
teaching aides and giving them some training through modelling,
observation of activities and discussion of good practice.
Larger Centres operating perhaps at district or provincial level can
operate full-scale train the trainers programmes. In such cases, the training
curricula outlined in the twelve volumes of ATLP and Volume I of ATLP-CE
could be implemented (also see Chapter Five).
24
Learning Centre networks could also work with those formal education
institutions which provide management courses for CE personnel and training
programmes for CE presenters (see Chapter Seven).
b) Community Information and Dissemination of Resources

Learning Centres perform two important roles in this area:
i) Provision of Community Information and Resource Services

A broad role for most Learning Centres, especially those in communities
lacking well-organized community information outlets such as libraries and local
government information services, is to act as a general information and resource
centre for the community. News and general information services can be
provided, and the Centre can also direct community members to other sources of
relevant information by encouraging contact with appropriate individuals,
agencies and instrumentalities, both governmental and non-governmental. This
is one of the advantages of linkages and networks - see below in section B(d).
The range of general community information services provided by any
particular Learning Centre will depend on what other information services are
locally available. In a poorly endowed community, such as a social group at the
level of survival, the Learning Centre may well be the only outlet for such
information and so it should play a major role. It could provide a news service, a
modest library and a community service directory. In a community such as a
society in transition from agriculture to industry well served by libraries, local
government information services and so on, these functions could be left to other
agencies. Also, the type of information provided should correlate with need. For
example, different communities would need to place different emphasis on areas
such as the following:
♦ Health
♦ Nutrition
♦ Family planning
♦ Employment
♦ Leisure
25
A developing rural community may wish to stress health, nutrition and

family planning. An affluent urban society may wish to stress employment,
urban environment and leisure issues.
ii ) Provision of Advisory and Counselling Services

A good Learning Centre should be an integral part of a community’s life.
It follows that a Learning Centre should try to serve members of its community
through advisory and counselling services, the scope of which could cover very
specific things such as participants’ choice of learning programme and reading
materials to advise on general issues like environment, democracy and world
peace. Two important factors, in this regard, are a high quality of counselling,
and high levels of accuracy and reliability of the. information provided.
As in the case of other functions of a Learning Centre, advisory and
counselling services must respond to local needs. However, the extent to which
such services can be provided will depend on the availability of appropriate
personnel. Assistance and support may be obtained from various government
agencies and NGOs in the area and from other sources. This idea is illustrated
below in Figure 3.3
COUNSELLING Education
AND Careers/Vocation
ADVISORY Employment
SERVICES Family planning
Family relationships
Part-time Staff from: Health
Line ministries Agriculture, forestry, etc.
NGOs Financial management
Specialist consultants Investment
Teachers/trainers Small business management
Commerce and industry Religion and spiritual
Volunteer agencies Psychological counselling
etc. etc.
Figure 3.3: The Advisory and Counselling Services which can

be provided by a Learning Centre depend on
personnel available
26
The range of advisory and counselling services would also vary with the
characteristics and needs of the community served by a given centre. In a small
rural community, the focus may be on health, family and agriculture whereas in
an urban setting it may be on careers, employment, financial management
and/or psychological counselling.
c) Community Development
An effective Learning Centre promotes community development. It has
three important roles in this regard:
i ) Providing General Community Activities

A Learning Centre should be concerned with promoting and facilitating
various community activities in order to contribute to local social and economic
well-being and to solidarity and harmony among the people of a community.
By being an organizer or facilitator and venue for various meetings,
gatherings, sports, and cultural activities, a Learning Centre becomes an integral
and inseparable part of the community. It is through these activities that
community solidarity is fostered, the management of one’s own community is
encouraged and the potential of the members of a community is tapped.
Exactly which type of general community activities a Learning Centre
provides will depend on local needs and on its capacity to respond. Activities
could include the following;
♦ Film and slide shows and exhibitions.
♦ Recreational activities such as dance and music performances.
♦ Informal meetings for the discussion of community problems and their
solution.
♦ Events fostering local culture, wisdom and traditional practices.
♦ Appropriate sporting activities for specific groups such as the elderly
or the handicapped.
♦ Day care facilities for the children of working families.
27
♦ Social clubs where members of the community can meet for various
functions, prepare and share meals and enjoy games and other forms
of social interaction.
ii) Facilitating Community Development Projects

Since the ultimate purpose of a Learning Centre is to promote human
development, especially at personal and community levels, it is important that its
functions and activities be designed to contribute to such development, either
directly or indirectly. Some Centres may themselves initiate community
development projects by means of Quality of Life Improvement CE programmes
(QLIP). Others may provide the necessary training required by development
projects initiated by others as they are implemented. Whatever its activities,
however, promoters and managers of a Learning Centre need to be aware of local
community developmental needs and trends and provide services which correlate
with and support them.
In regard to specific projects, most Learning Centres will probably focus
on Quality of Life Improvement CE activities - QLIP. But in some cases,
Centres may find alternative ways of fostering community development. Some
possibilities include the following:
♦ Provision of low interest loans for small businesses.
♦ Provision of educational scholarships.
♦ Establishment of revolving funed to promote entrepreneurship.
♦ A system to promote replication of good development practice.
♦ Training in development project design and management.
♦ Promoting the establishment and management of co-operatives.
♦ Providing educational services for co-operatives.
♦ Assistance with marshalling human, financial and material resources
for development - e.g. fund-raising campaigns.
iii) Promoting Visions of the Future

An effective Learning Centre should be future-oriented. It should
anticipate the needs of its clientele. Needs analysis should not just focus on the
28
immediate concerns of the community but should try to anticipate future

development.
The programmes of Learning Centres are self-promotional in that as they
meet one set of needs, other needs emerge. This is an endless process of progress
and expansion. One client may attend a given programme such as IIP to satisfy
a particular interest only to discover other interests and so request other IIP. A
village may successfully undertake one development task helped by a QLIP
provided by a Centre only to face a new development challenge caused by the
very success of the first project and so will require additional QLIP. And so on.
The work of any Centre, therefore, is greatly facilitated if possible future
scenarios are explored and rational processes of planned change are in place. The
more flexible and responsible the management of a Learning Centre, the more it
will be efficient and effective in achieving its prime purpose - the promotion of
human development.
Specific activities in this area could include the following:
♦ the provision of FOCEP type CE programmes (see ATLP-CE Volume
Seven);
♦ assistance for individuals and families in life planning;
♦ helping organizations, community groups and the community as a
whole in formulating goals and developing action plans to achieve the
goals;
♦ assisting the CE network of which the Centre is a part in formulating
future visions and the optimal roles they should play in the achieve-
ment of these visions.
d) Co-ordination and Networking

Learning Centres do not operate in isolation. Each is only one of many
community agencies involved in the promotion of lifelong learning. Fostering of
linkages and co-ordinated activities is therefore very important, especially
between government and non-government agencies and instrumentalities.
29
i) Provision of Linkages
An essential factor for the success of a Learning Centre is co-ordination
and networking, which start with a careful survey of all existing learning
facilities and resources of a community and which are vertical as well as
horizontal. In that way, duplication or overlapping with the content of other
learning programmes is minimized and the facilities and learning resources can
be fully utilized. While there is a limit to the capabilities of any Learning Centre
in co-ordination and networking, the principle should be encouraged both for
efficiency and for recruiting and involving partners in as many activities as
possible. In particular, linkages and co-ordination should be sought between
relevant government and non-government agencies. Although this topic is
discussed in detail in Chapter Seven, the following specific aspects are stressed
here as being of central importance.
♦ Development of linkages and cooperative activities between all
government and non-government learning centres in the local
network.
♦ Development of an information register on all relevant educational
activities in the local and nearby communities.
ii )Promotion of Lifelong Learning

An effective Learning Centre needs to work closely with all sectors of the
community and to have policies to ensure the success of its activities. Some of
the obvious ways of doing this are as follows:
♦ Ensure that all its functions are organized into a system convenient
for community users.
♦ Survey, analyze and respond to the expressed needs and require-
ments of the people.
♦ Continuously stimulate involvement of the local people in the
functions of the Centre.
♦ Involve the local community in organizing and managing the day-to-
day activities of the Centre.
♦ Approach non-creative groups in the community to encourage their
involvement.
30
♦ Follow-up clientele in need of further assistance.

♦ Seek community support for the Centre in terms of finances,
personnel and material resources.
♦ Seek to coordinate activities with those of other Learning Centres and
with relevant GOs and NGOs.
♦ Create new local learning networks and promote existing networks.
♦ Assist the community to develop a vision of its, future and work
towards achieving that vision.
In general, the staff of a Learning Centre should be involved in policy
making and encouraging political will and community support at all levels. Use
should be made of the mass media and of all local information networks
(Information services of line ministries, NGOs, etc.) to promote CE and foster its
growth (see Chapter Seven).
All Learning Centres should have a general advocacy role for CE. They
should not merely advertise and promote their own programmes and activities
but should actively seek close involvement by members of the community in
continuing education. This involvement may be of several kinds.
♦ Encouraging participation in continuing education activities as
teaching aides or as volunteers to assist in areas such as organization
and management.
♦ Providing financial support for CE.
♦ Making venues and resources available to facilitate CE.
♦ Encouraging various agencies within relevant networks to provide CE
activities.
♦ Training personnel in various aspects of CE, especially for persons not
usually involved in education, e.g. farmers, business entrepreneurs.
C. From Functions to Programme

Once a particular Learning Centre has determined how to operationalize
is functions to meet the needs of the community it serves, it is ready to develop
its programme of activities. The overall programme of any particular Centre
must reflect all its functions, but should be organized into a coherent system. It
31
is not just a matter of providing a range of courses or other development

activities and assuming that they meet all needs. All elements must be
integrated into a smoothly running overall flexible programme capable of rapid
change to meet changing circumstances.
Guidelines for developing coherent flexible programmes are discussed in
the next chapter (Chapter Four).
32
Chapter Four
DEVELOPING PROGRAMMES FOR
LEARNING CENTRES
A. Responsive Integration of Functions

The programme of any particular Learning Centre emerges from its
functions which are themselves made operational in different ways in different
socio-economic and cultural situations. These aspects have been discussed in
Chapters Two and Three. The overall programme must also reflect all the
functions of the Centre in an integrated and holistic set of activities. While the
central role of any Learning Centre is usually the provision of educational and
training courses, other functions such as community development activities,
counselling and advisory services and so on, must also be reflected in the
programme. This idea is illustrated below in Figure 4.1.
This chapter first describes the general steps to be followed in developing
the overall programme and then gives four examples of how these steps have
been implemented in four different Learning Centres, one from each of the
following socio-economic and cultural situations.
• Example 1: A social group at the level of survival
• Example 2: A rural development situation
• Example 3: A society in transition from agriculture to industry
• Example 4: An affluent urban society in an industrialized country
The chapter then reviews the general procedures for developing specific
elements of programmes such as the various types of continuing education
activities specified in Volumes I to VII of ATLP-CE.
33
APPROPRIATE VENUE
FOR LEARNING
COMMUNITY EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY COORDINATION

INFORMATION AND TRAINING COURSES DEVELOPMENT AND NETWORKING
RESOURCE CENTRE FOR COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES (eg. QLIPS)
COUNSELLING
TRAINING OF
AND ADVISORY
PERSONNEL
SERVICES
GENERAL COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES
FUTURE VISIONING
PROMOTION OF LIFELONG LEARNING
Figure 4.1: For the development of an effective programme

the functions of a Learning Centre must be fully
integrated
34
Developing programme for learning centres
B. General Steps in Determining a Programme

There are six steps to be followed in determining the overall programme
of a Learning Centre. These are shown in Figure 4.2 and are described and
discussed below:
STEP ONE:
Problem-based Identification
of Target Clientele
STEP SIX: STEP TWO:
Implementation Identification
and Revision of Learning Needs
to ensure HOW of Target
Effectiveness TO PREPAR Clientele
A LEARNING CENTRE
PROGRAMME
STEP FIVE:
Assessment of STEP THREE:

Learning Resources
to develop Developing
a Curriculum Programme
linked to Objectves
Learners’
Life Needs
STEP FOUR:
Prioritization of
Specific Programme Activities
Figure 4.2 The six steps in determining the overall programme

of a Learning Centre
35
Step 1: Identifying Problems to be Addressed by the Programme

Essentially, this step is to determine for whom the Centre is intended.
In some cases, especially in highly developed communities, this is deter-
mined by the clientele who themselves initiate establishment of the
Centre. In other situations, especially where literacy levels are low or
where there are acute social problems, the promoters of the Learning
Centre must investigate which problems require urgent attention and
can be addressed by the activities of a Learning Centre.
Methods of identifying problems depend on the scale of intervention

planned and whether the Centre is to established by a GO or NGO or by
both working together. Informal and more structured types of social
community surveys could be undertaken either nation-wide or locally or
both. Reports and other relevant documents providing secondary data
can also be analyzed. The most important input, however, is probably
from a series of face-to-face interviews with a representative sample of
the potential clientele. Only in this way can key problems be identified
and solutions formulated.
Care must be taken to articulate problems precisely. For example, it is

insufficient simply to state that the problem is a high level of illiteracy.
What is needed is some clear statement of the social circumstances
which have caused this, e.g. insufficient places in primary school,
undervaluing of education, need for children and youth to work in the
fields, and so on.
Step 2: Identifying Learning Needs of Clientele

To find out exactly what specific needs can be addressed by a Learning
Centre, there should be a concrete study of the life situations of the
potential clientele. This does not mean that an elaborate research study
is necessary. In most cases, personalized face-to-face techniques
involving informal interviews and structured observation of a represen-
tative sample would be sufficient. The aim of course is to put a
recognizable face on the target group.
At the end of this process, the promoters will:

36
Developing programmes for learning centres
i. be familiar with the living realities of the situation which are often
ignored by policy makers who frequently gloss over this step; and
ii. have begun a process of involving the beneficiaries of the Centre in
setting its objectives.
Step 3: Developing Programme Objectives

Emerging from Steps 1 and 2, and by maintaining dialogue with
representative samples of client groups, the aims and objectives of the
overall programme should be clearly formulated. These of course will be
very different in different socio-economic contexts. For example, for a
society at the level of survival, the aim of the programme could be to
enhance survival skills and the objectives could include helping people to
read and write at levels which enable them to continue to learn on their
own and to gain extra income through self-initiated projects. In an
affluent urban community, the central aim could be to enrich personal
lives, and the objectives could include helping people apply up-to-date
work skills and to use leisure time creatively.
Step 4: Giving Priority to Specific Activities

For each general function (Figure 4.2), a list of potential activities
should be formulated to achieve the aims and objectives determined at
Step 3 and which will meet the identified needs of the clientele. These
should be stated in action terms, for example:
Education Courses : Provision of a course of 200 hours of basic

functional literacy for adults;
Provision of income-generating courses in
crafts, small animal husbandry and home
maintenance.
Counselling, and : Establishment of a weekly family planning
Advisory Service clinic.
Establishment of informal advisory service
for entrepreneurs.
While the initial list may be extensive, it is then important to establish

priorities within and between categories. This is an essential step which
37
must be undertaken realistically simply because financial and resource

constraints often make it impossible for a single Learning Centre to
begin everything at the same time or to meet all the needs.
Step 5: Assessing Learning Resources

An effective programme inevitably depends on the availability of
appropriate human and material resources. The extent to which such
resources are available varies with the country context and the develop-
m e n t s i t u a t i o n . I n a p o o r r u r a l c o m m u n i t y, p a r t - t i m e s t a ff a n d
volunteerism become important and materials must be low cost and be
drawn mainly from the local commmuty. In more advanced situations,
such as in affluent urban communities, the availability of both trainers
and trained personnel is assured and material resources can include a
wide range of printed and multi-media learning and training items.
However, at all levels and in all situations there is an important “rule of

thumb” in regard to resources. It is this: A Learning Centre must
always test the suitability of its staff and the content and approach of
available learning materials against the life situation of the Centre’s
clientele. That is, resources must be used creatively by continuously
testing their relevance and applicability.
Response to this “rule of thumb” may involve designing and imple-

menting a modest staff development programme or the development of
locally produced materials, especially in situations where resources are
limited. But whatever the circumstances two things are necessary:
i. There should be a suitable staff training programme backed up by a

manual or training guide on teaching methodology. These may be
provided by the Centre itself or by another agency.
ii. Teaching materials must be carefully evaluated and re-interpreted
and adapted to ensure that they are user-oriented. This may in-
volve the development of supplementary materials.
38
Step 6: Implementation and Revision

One rule here is that the delivery system for each aspect of any
programme must be designed to offer the best possible access for the
Centre’s clientele in any given set of circumstances. There is another
rule. The delivery mechanisms chosen must be suitable for the types of
people for whom the programme is designed.
To illustrate these points, consider a rural development situation in a

community with low levels of adult literacy. The programme of the
Centre must integrate with the demands of a rural life where the
majority of people work in the fields during daylight hours. Therefore,
some intervention to reduce the labour involved should be explored and
some group activities should be organized in the early evenings, perhaps
involving the provision of meals. Distance education methods would be
inappropriate, at least initially, because of low levels of adult literacy
and could only be introduced as literacy levels improve.
Another important rule is that implementation must be responsive and

flexible. Strategies which are not working should be quickly replaced.
This is vital if the confidence of the clientele is to be maintained and
credibility and effectiveness ensured.
C. Examples of Programme Development

In this section, examples are given to illustrate how Learning Centres in
four different socio-economic contexts could implement the six steps outlined
above in Section B. The first example is discussed in some detail and the others
more generally.
Example 1 A Learning Centre catering for a social group at

the level of survival.
Step 1: Identifying Problems

In some situations, certain problems linked to the survival of vast
segment of both urban and rural populations are so acute that
elaborate surveys may not be needed to articulate them. Quite often
39
immediate visual indicators are so obvious that problems define

themselves. This is the case for almost all those marginalized people
who have been left out of the mainstream process of social and economic
development - for example, many women in rural areas, slum dwellers,
homeless unemployed in otherwise affluent societies, street children,
refugees, marginalized minorities and similar vulnerable groups.
For many such people, in fact, “education”, in the formal sense of the term,
has no meaning. One of the many reasons for this lies in the evident
crisis in the formal education system where people who never get to
school or others who drop out are a constant reminder that the
education being provided is irrelevant to their daily lives and to their
survival strategies.
Two examples serve as illustrations. For urban poor and slum dwellers,
the income potential of children or indeed the assistance they provide
with household chores continues to outweigh any apparent benefit of
educating them. Similarly, education alone is often not perceived as
being able to provide solutions for countless rural women trapped in
traditionally stereotyped roles suffering discrimination in silence.
Step 2: ldentifying Learning Needs

Learning Centre promoters in such situations must be aware that the
reality of such target groups functioning at the level of survival often
presents an ironic combination of two factors. On the one hand, the
weight and magnitude of their visual presence in society is inescapable,
even to the casual observer. At the same time, very few educators
either know or attempt to discover what it is actually like to live life as
these people do. This obvious incongruity empties the “education” being
pro-vided of all relevance.
In developing a meaningful programme, therefore, it is important to

develop a first-hand understanding of learning needs by working and
living closely with random samples of target learners using face-to-face
methods. T his proces s will e nsur e tha t the pr omote r s know, f or
40
instance, what it is like to live as their potential students do. Where do

they work? Where do they sleep? What do they earn? What do they
eat? How are they exploited by others? In other words, what are the
major issues in their lives?
Among such target groups, promoters may find some people actually
deserving the status of “survival learners” who, despite illiteracy,
demonstrably continue to prove their ability to survive against all odds.
In other words, they continually wrest pragmatic, survival education from
life itself. This realization may help in ensuring that the Centre’s
programme emerges from a large measure of respect for the target
group’s survival abilities. Such humility will foster a dramatically more
effective two-way educational process in which teachers continually
learn from the students they teach.

It will quickly become apparent from the analysis of the learning needs
of groups at the level of survival that the objectives of the Learning
Centre aiming to help satisfy these needs must be multi-purpose. They
must also relate the process of education to the life situation of the
learners. The programme, therefore, should not be limited to “bookish”
education but should aim to highlight the true value of basic literacy as
a facilitating strategy. The objectives of such programmes, therefore,
should be expressed in terms of developing the tools needed to provide
leverage in the daily struggle to survive and to get a better deal out of life.
Related aims and objectives then emerge, such as:

i. to develop awareness which enables individuals to pursue their
rights and find solutions to development crises within a democratic
framework;
ii. to undertake activities which compensate for areas of weakness
within the development priorities of the community served by the
Centre.
41
Unless a particular Learning Centre is able to address needs through

carefully and appropriately stated aims and objectives and the activities
designed to achieve them, then it will fail in its basic task of making
learning attractive for its, client. Inevitably, it will die unnoticed and
unmourned.

While it is clear that all of the Learning Centre’s specific activities must
be short-listed using need-based criteria, there is still the question of
where to start first and what should come later?
Experience indicates that the best first step when dealing with any
vulnerable group at the level of survival is to choose any activity or
support service directly connected to current survival strategies.
To give a practical example, if the Centre is dealing with street children,

probably the best way to demonstrate the relevance of its programme is
to start by making a direct intervention on the street. It could therefore
order its priorities and bring in the process of education in the following
ways:
i. First, it should make sure that teachers avoid the usual strategy of
empowerment through building theoretical awareness about
democratic rights. Instead, it would require staff to personally
protect children on the street and in the workplace, at least by
attempting to prevent day-to-day exploitation and physical assaults
by the police, street gangs, employers in petty businesses, and by the
street “Mafia”. It is an initiative which costs almost nothing; yet
experience indicates that it is the hardest step for educators to
gather the courage to initiate.
ii. Follow up this initiative by providing access to a night shelter facility

and a petty savings bank, and providing services to stabilize health-
care, personal hygiene, and nutrition.
42
iii. Only thereafter should the Centre attempt to begin more structured
educational work and hope to succeed with skills training and
income generating schemes.

In regard to staffing, one harsh reality any Learning Centre in this
situation must face is that the price of educators with trained
capabilities is not only unaffordable, but that such educators frequently
lack the strong motivation required to take on this type of task.
Those who do turn up, largely do so because of compulsions of their own.

Quite simply, they need the job even through it pays poorly by any
standards. The Learning Centre needs them because there is not much
of a choice anyway. Volunteers do not solve this dilemma because they
can never provide the stability and continuity such educational work
demands. What is needed is a systematically worked-out training
manual for this kind of teaching. It has to be usable by almost any
literate adult.
In regard to learning materials for seriously disadvantaged groups at

the level of survival, great care must be taken in selecting and using
appropriate materials. What must be avoided at all costs is the use of
inappropriate materials which hardly extend beyond basic exercises in
reading and writing and which tend to present social problems in ways
which the learner’s “life” education has taught him or her to reject. What
is needed is a great deal of rigor in the selection and adaptation of
materials which combines a systematic approach with flexible practice.
Issues to consider include the following:

♦ What is actually going to be taught and its justification?
♦ Do these reflect the aims and objectives of the programme?
♦ Is there any basis for these being selected other than their low-cost
availability?
♦ What is the methodology to be employed?
♦ Are skilled personnel available to ensure effective implementation?
43
In reviewing these issues, it may be helpful to consider a specific

survival group - namely street children. In such a situation, the
Learning Centre promoters must keep various factors in mind. In many
developing countries with large numbers of illiterates, even 8-year-old
learners are being educated through life on the street while having no
previous experience of formal schooling. Such people need help in
building a solid foundation of primary education, without foreclosing the
option of later entry into secondary levels of the formal system. There
are, however, no textbooks available which relate the content of
learning to the context of their lives.
The following steps show how to develop appropriate alternative learner
resources:
♦ Borrow any well-designed syllabus of the formal system that is
reasonably priced and easily available.
♦ Examine the applicability of textual content and learning exercises
to the life of the target clientele.
♦ Create more recognizable supplementary texts and exercises that
draw attention to given life realities.
♦ Create a supplementary Teacher’s Guide for classroom teaching.
The following is a practical example. In India, a well-designed syllabus
is provided by the NCERT (National Council for Educational Research
and Training). In the NCERT’s Grade 1 textbook for Hindi language,
the first exercise in basic sentence formation contains a text with the
title “Mala Mela Chal” (“Mala, let us go to the fair”).
The scenario is fairly simple for a middle-class child to identify with.

Mala is the name of a little girl who, along with her brother, is taken to
the fair by their father. They are treated to food, buy a doll and return
home excited and exhausted. The mother is waiting up with dinner,
and although they would like to play with their new toys, the children
are firmly advised to eat and sleep. There will be time enough to play
tomorrow.
44
Now if a brother and sister working on the street and living in a slum
wanted to go to the fair, what would the likely scenario be? Probably
the parents would not have had the time nor the money to take them.
They would go on their own, having first earned money for small
indulgences. If the fair happened to be associated with a religious
festival, the children would in fact see it as an opportunity to cash in on
pious rich folk who would be in a charitable frame of mind. Therefore, a
quick lucrative round of begging would probably bring in enough money
to justify their absence from home, by buying food for the main (often
only) meal. And if they returned with a doll, they probably would have
found it on a garbage heap. The day would end without the promise of
leisure on the morrow.
Obviously, the textbook representation of middle-class Mala does not

match the self-image of a street child named Mala. An effective teacher,
then, has lots of room for participatory discussion starting with the
compulsions of the working street children. Sharpening critical
awareness of what children actually do in their daily lives is an
important motivation for self-help in a system that usually denies them
this opportunity.
The Centre could also take further action including designing and
producing an alternative text using the same letters of the alphabet
with language exercises to match, accompanied by free discussion and
the creative use of theater and drawings. Such a text becomes a tool for
self-examination and fosters a wider appreciation of problems faced in
the daily lives of the learners and in society as a whole. Advocacy then
becomes an important spin-off and the process of participatory
democracy begins.

For groups at the level of survival, there is need for personalized face-to-
face contact. In the case of street children, for example, we have seen
that this must involve the provision of shelter and protection from abuse
and exploitation. What is needed is a variety of basic life-oriented
45
support services and these need to be applied in as close proximity to the

clientele as possible.
It is not until basic needs are met that more structured forms of
education and training can be introduced. Centre staff must be
constantly alert to determine the most appropriate point in the
development of individuals for the introduction of structured learning
activities. Responsive and responsible programming involves flexibility
and rapid modification as needs and circumstances change.
Example 2 Learning Centre in a rural development situation.
Step l : Identifying Problems

In some countries and districts, rural communities remain at low levels
of development and face many social problems. For them, Learning
Centres can play a key role in improving standards of living and quality
of life.As one example, the recent experience of one country, namely
Bangladesh, will be examined. Bangladesh is one of the most densely
populated areas in the world. It has 119 million people within an area of
148 thousand square kilometers. Eighty percent of the people live in
rural areas. They depend directly and indirectly on agriculture which
contributes 36 percent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The people are struggling against numerous odds such as poverty,
illiteracy, malnutrition, natural disasters, landlessness and low annual
per capita income (less than U5$220).
The level of literacy in Bangladesh in 1991 was as low as 24 percent and

in spite of major efforts by Government and the people, this has not
improved in recent years. The causes are many, but the major ones are
generally considered to be lack of awareness among the people and
ignorance about the value of education. Low enrolment in primary
schools (15 percent do not attend), a high dropout rate (53 percent) and
low rates of completion of the primary cycle (47 percent) are, indicators
that education is not sufficiently valued.
46
The above problems are especially acute in rural areas, particularly

amongst the landless and small farmers, women, out-of-school children,
adolescent girls and boys and ethnic minorities.
The promoters of a Learning Centre being established in a rural village

of Bangladesh, therefore, must respond to these general problems. In
particular, a key factor will be to provide motivation and to demonstrate
that participation in the activities of the Centre will improve individual
and community well-being. In particular, motivation and learning
opportunities after attaining basic literacy are weak, especially in rural
village communities.
Step 2: Identifying Learning Needs

Until recently, there has been no well-established system of continuing
education which has aimed to prevent neo-literates from relapsing into
illiteracy. Learning Centres, however, are now being established by the
government in co-operation with NGOs, and they perceive that the
main need is to improve life-styles by raising literacy levels and
ensuring that neo-literates have opportunities to continue to learn. The
emphasis is on functional literacy and community development.

The newly emerging Centres tend to formulate their objectives in terms
of the following:
♦ raising awareness of local policy and decision-makers about the role
and significance of education;
♦ providing increased facilities and opportunities in rural areas for
people to continue to learn;
♦ enriching village life through the promotion of socio-cultural
activities;
♦ improving quality of life through income generation activities;
♦ facilitating access to higher levels of education through the provision
of equivalency programmes.
47

Very recently, the concept of Learning Centres has been accepted by the
NGO community. Such Centres are known as Loko-Kendra which
means “People’s Centre for Continuing Education”. Each Learning Centre
is now perceived as a creativity Centre for neo-literates, semi-literates,
primary school graduates and others.
These Centres start as multipurpose community meeting places. They

are mandated to carry out the following activities on a systematic
basis:
1. Establishing and upgrading rural libraries
2. Undertaking socio-cultural activities
3. Providing basic functional literacy and other courses through
equivalency programmes
4. Providing income generation activities
5. Promoting community development by establishing linkages with
other development initiatives in the local area.
Initially, the priority is to develop networks of reading centres focused
each Learning Centre, each set up and managed by the local community.

There are serious shortages of manpower, materials and money to
establish and run the new Centres. Only 23 NGOs are now running the
approximately 2,000 rural libraries which are the starting points for the
newly emerging multipurpose Learning Centres. Only about 130
individual titles of materials suitable for these libraries have been
produced with the limited resources available. Materials have also been
produced by various government departments but these are not always
appropriate for groups served by particular Centres.

Face to face contact sessions involving group work and individualized
self-paced learning are found to be most effective for rural groups in
Bangladesh. Venues frequently include the homes of community
48
leaders, especially in the case of programmes aimed at encouraging

participation by women.
A major challenge for the new Centres will be to solve the problem of
resources. Centres are exploring how to adapt materials to meet local
needs, how to recruit local talent and how to produce materials
economically.
Example 3 Learning Centre for a society in transition from

agriculture to industry.
Step 1: Identifying Problems

Because of rapid socio-economic development in eastern and south-
eastern Asia, there are many situations where Learning Centres can
facilitate the transition from agricultural to industrial economies. This
is especially the case in countries such as China, Indonesia, Malaysia
and Thailand. In Thailand, for example, a network of rural Community
Learning Centres has been established to improve the quality of rural
life and to help villagers cope with the inevitable changes in life-style as
industrialization becomes more widespread.
Possible problems to be overcome include a lack of appropriate infra-

structure to meet the demands of industrialization, a certain lack of self-
reliance and community participation in the processes of change and the
absence of new knowledge and employable skills required for a society in
transition. The precise nature of each problem varies from community
to community but the underlying patterns are similar in many rural
areas in any particular country.

The learning needs of societies in transition from agriculture to industry
are not so much in the area of basic literacy as the need for higher levels
of education including development of knowledge and skills, especially
technological skills, which can be applied in the changing circumstances.
The fostering of new career opportunities is also an important need. A
49
further need is to ensure that the best of the past is not lost or
destroyed. This includes the need to preserve local art and culture, to
promote awareness of local history, and to protect the environment from
the worst effects of industrialization. The staff of Learning Centres in
such situations, therefore, must understand the characteristics of the
local community and the likely changes and challenges the people will
face as industrialization proceeds. They should be concerned with how
to maximize benefits and minimize deficits in the changing situation.

It is important in this type of situation that the people themselves have
the major say about what they want their Learning Centre to achieve.
Clearly the focus will be on development and on the preparation of
individuals for changing ways of life. Specific objectives frequently
include the following:
♦ to improve basic infrastructure while maintaining the integrity of
the environment;
♦ to initiate and facilitate community development projects;
♦ to upgrade general educational standards through post-literacy and
equivalency continuing education, and especially to foster a modern
scientific view of the world;
♦ to introduce new vocational skills which will be marketable in newly
industrialized situations;
♦ to improve the availability of appropriate career opportunities.

In a transitional community, a Learning Centre must respond by
having a broadly based programme. 1n countries such as Thailand
Community Learning Centres in this situation give priority to the
following activities:
50
♦ appropriate technology
♦ art and culture
♦ enhanced career opportunities
♦ environmental issues
♦ local history of the community and of related provinces and states
♦ health and hygiene
♦ use of local resources and activities for entrepreneurs
♦ application of local wisdom
These activities come together in a balanced programme as suggested
by the diagram below (Figure 4.3).

In countries such as Thailand, full-time and part-time staff and most
learning materials are supplied by the NFE Department supported and
supplemented from the community and from NGOs. Co-ordination and
networking with other development agencies are especially important in
regard to learning materials. In Thailand, there is co-ordination
between neighbouring villages and five main government ministries
with an interest in rural development to establish a circulating system
of learning materials.
In Centres in transitional situations, it is especially important that

learning materials are up-to-date and relevant to changing needs. They
should be available in a variety of formats. Non-print self-instructional
materials are especially important. Most community Learning Centres
in countries such as Thailand have well-equipped libraries, vocational
training areas, sports grounds, classrooms, small group meeting rooms,
child care facilities and plant nurseries. The library in such Centers is
usually multifunctional, providing for individual study, community
meetings, audio productions, social functions, art exhibitions and small
group discussion.
51
Career development Local Wisdom
Reading Material
Entrepreneur
TWORKING
NE
COMMUNITY
LEARNING CENTRE
LE
AR NIN G
Multimedia
Environment Culture Sattellite
Coordination
Figure 4.3 The balanced programme of a Community

Learning Centre in Thailand
52

While face-to-face delivery systems are most frequestly used, there is
usually some emphasis on individualized self-paced learning.
Community development projects of the type advocated by the ATLP-
CE QLIPs programmes are also popular. Both these forms of delivery
are frequently backed by programmes of distance education, often
organized and co-ordinated by the Learning Centre library acting as a
resource centre.
Because a Learning Centre in this situation is addressing the needs of a

rapidly changing society moving from an agricultural to an industrial
economy, implementation must be sensitive to the pressures and stress
such a transition places on individuals and on the community as a
whole. Counselling and advisory services are therefore important. The
programmes should be under constant review and revision as needs
change in response to the new demands of industrialization.
Example 4 Learning Centre catering for an affluent urban

society in an industrialized country.
Step 1: Identifying problems

In industrialized countries such as Australia, Japan or the Republic of
Korea, Community Learning Centres in cities generally emerge in
response to community demand. Certain problems and issues such as a
high proportion of unemployed youth, increased leisure time, the
restructuring of the economy with its demand for rapidly changing
skills, the ageing of the population and so on need to be addressed by
flexible educational institutions outside formal schools, colleges and uni-
versities. Tho community therefore usually approaches a local govern-
ment authority, the private sector or a non-government insititution or
agency to establish a Learning Centre with the main aim of addressing
locally identified issues and problems.
53

Because of universal primary and secondary education, full literacy and
high levels of general education in the community, a Learning Centre in
this type of situation can focus on providing life enrichment activities for
all members of the community while also catering for the specific needs
of parcular groups. These groups may vary in composition and
propotion from suburd to suburd of a city and a particular Learning
Centre must respond to these differences. Special groups include the
aged, unemployed and unskilled youth, hobby groups, immigrants, the
socially disadvantaged ethnic minorities, and various categories of
employees requiring new work skills.

Since Centres in this type of situation generally emerge from
community demand, their objectives are defined in terms of satisfying
this demand. In almost all cases, a central aim is the enrichment of life
for all youth and adults in the community. Specific objectives follow
from this, depending on the needs of particular groups. Typical objec-
tives could include the following:
♦ upgrading specific work-related skills
♦ providing marketable skills for the unemployed
♦ providing sports and physical activities for various categories
♦ fostering creative use of leisure
♦ enhancing personal development and social skills

Courese and activities are usually of four broad types. First, there are
training courses which focus on work-related skills such as business
management or computing; second, there are leisure activities stressing
sports and physical activity; third, there are intellectual leisure
activities such as music, art and craft, creative writing and travel, and
fourth, there are personal development and social skills courses and
activities such as introductory psychology and philosophy, local history,
54
family history, conversation skills, family relationships, parenting and

so on.
Priority is determined by market forces. Activities are widely advertized

and, since they correlate with community demand, are usually well
attended. They tend to remain on offer while the demand continues. In
a typical Community Learning Centre serving a cluster of suburbs in
Sydney, Australia, for example, there are usually about 200 part-time
courses and activities offered in any term of about ten weeks. Enrolment
figures are between 15,000 to 20,000 per term and the annual financial
turnover exceeds two million dollars.
An important aspect of such Centres is that they are open to all adult
members of the community and some even cater for family groups.
Usually, courses and activities are not for credit although some work-
related activities and programmes can be accredited by some recognized
educational authority if such accreditation is sought by a particular
participant. Accreditation, however, is not a primary aim of such
Centres, which are concerned more with personal development and
providing enriching opportunities for self directed lifelong learning
throughout the community.

Because Centres in this type of situation usually arise from community
demand, they are almost always self-supporting although some may
enjoy subsidies from government or industry, especially if they cater for
the needs of particular groups requiring support. In almost all cases,
they are organized by the people themselves. They may be established
by a variety of institutions including state and local government
agencies, churches, educational associations, industrial organizations,
employer groups, charities and so on.
Daily management is usually by a Community Board consisting of

unpaid volunteers. Presenters are paid from fees charged, but Centres
waive fees for certain disadvantaged groups such as the unemployed
55
and in such cases the presenters are usually paid from the recurrent
budget of the Centre or from government subsidies. All centres are
multipurpose even if they initially arise in response to a particular need
such as providing creative leisure activities for elderly people in
retirement or training the unemployed in marketable job skills.
The programmes and activities of these Centres are usually based on

the knowledge and skills of local presenters who offer their services to
the Centres on a part-time basis. Presenters are usually paid by the
hour. There is usually a small full-time salaried and administrative
staff. Community volunteers also help with administration and work as
t e a c h i n g a i d e s . F r e q u e n t l y, c l i e n t s w h o h a v e c o m p l e t e d c e r t a i n
activities work as proctors, usually unpaid except for reimbursement of
expenses. A typical Centre could be a Community College with its main
building based in a centrally located suburb and easily accessible by
public transport. It would then provide activities in many venues within
a radius of five kilometres or so from the main building.One such
college in Sydney has forty such venues in place, such as church halls,
community halls, schools (usually in the evenings), sports complexes,
clubs, shopping centres, libraries, hotels and motels, heritage buildings,
government offices, hospitals and clinics and so on.
Learning materials are not a problem since those immediately needed

by participants are supplied by the participants themselves or are
purchased from fees. Fees are set according to the resources needed. In
addition, because these Centres are part of a learning society, there are
many support services available such as local libraries, museums,
galleries, information services and so on.
Disadvantaged groups such as the unemployed or special target groups

such as immigrants usually can attend courses and activities without
charge. Costs of their programmes are met by subsidies from
government or the community, especially from employer groups and
welfare agencies. Thus this type of support becomes an important
56
resource enabling each Centre to broaden its functions by addressing for

special needs.

Because many of the activities of centres concerned with personal life
enrichment are satisfying social needs, the most frequent form of
delivery is face-to-face interaction, usually in small groups. Some
activities, however, use other modes of delivery. Vocational and job-
related activities are frequently presented in workplace settings and
involve on-the-job training either actual or simulated. Distance
education is also used in some instances, sometimes involving the mass
media. Community project work is also used together with programmes
involving travel and visits to selected locations. Each form of delivery is
carefully chosen to meet the needs of the group involved and to ensure
achievement of the relevant objectives.
A critical challenge for the staff of a Learning Centre in this situation is

to be sensitive to societal trends and how to develop responsive
programmes and activities. For example, as patterns of employment
change, the demand for work-related activities changes. As the amount
of leisure time increases, greater attention must be given to promoting
the creative use of this time. As the ethnic mix of a community changes,
so cultural activities must be modified to meet changing cultural
demands. Implementation therefore must be flexible and responsive.
D. Programming Specific Activities

Back in Figure 4.1, each of the broad types of functions shown has specific
activities associated with it. In Sections B and C above, the steps in designing an
overall programme were reviewed and examples described, with the emphasis on
arranging priorities and defining overall objectives for the Centre as a whole.
The next step involves the design and implementation of the full range of
activities serving each type of function. For example, under general community
activities the Centre may decide to establish a social club for the elderly. The
57
c l u b ’s o b j e c t i v e s a n d o rg a n i z a t i o n m u s t b e c a r e f u l l y p r e s c r i b e d a n d i t s
programme of activities established over specified period. Under training of
personnel, the approach to be adopted must be determined and a suitable
training curriculum designed and implemented. Under counselling and advisory
services, the scope and objectives of the services need to be determined, personnel
recruited, a system established and its activities scheduled.
This section has focused on the design and development of educational

courses and the sponsoring of community development activities, because these
are the central concerns of almost all Learning Centres. For basic, functional
literacy programmes, readers are referred to the twelve volumes of ATLP.
However, at the core of any Learning Centre forming part of a continuing
education network, there are programmes and activities classified under the six
types of continuing education as determined by ATLP-CE:
1. Post-Literacy Programmes (PLP)
2. Equivalency Programmes (EP)
3. Quality of Life Improvement Programmes (QLIP)
4. Income-Generating Programmes (I GP)
5. Individual Interest Promotion Programmes (IIP)
6. Future-Oriented Programmes (FOP)
In practice, elements from these programmes may be combined according
to need. Further, not all Learning Centres may provide all types of programmes.
As discussed above in Sections B and C, priorities will emerge from the socio-
economic and cultural context and development situation of the community
served by a particular Centre.
Full details of how to design, develop and implement each type of

programme are provided in ATLP-CE volumes II to VII. By way of summary,
however, and to provide examples of how to design specific activities, the
following pages present in tabulated form the steps involved and the points of
emphasis to be made in designing each of the six types of programme. The steps
58
are those generally followed in the design of any curriculum based on a systems
approach and are the same as those advocated under ATLP and ATLP-CE. The
steps are as follows.
Step 1. Determining needs and entry behaviours
Step 2. Specifying objectives
Step 3. Selecting and sequencing content
Step 4. Determining modes of delivery
Step 5. Selecting and designing learning activities
Step 6. Designing assessment methods
Step 7. Designing techniques to evaluate overall effectiveness.
The table highlights what could be emphasized at each step but
interpretation would vary according to the needs and circumstances of each
particular Learning Centre.
59
Curriculum Step Post Literacy (PLP) Equivalency (EP)

Step 1: • Diagnose literacy levels • Assess levels (grades of
Entry Behaviour using standardized achievement in the areas to be
and Needs achievement tests studied)
Analysis • Prepare career/employ- • Prepare study plans for
ment profile-past achieving defined qualifi-
achievements and future cations
aims
Step 2: • List the objectives of the • List the objectives of the EP in
Objectives PLP in terms of levels of terms of subjects to be studied,
literacy, numeracy, func- levels to be achievd and
tional knowledge and award to be attained
general mental skills to
be achieved
Step 3: • Select content appropriate • Select the content of each
Content for the client group subject ensuring that its
scope is equivalent to the
programme for which it is an
alternative
• Arrange the content of each
subject in terms of a learning
hierarchy
Step 4: • Consider possible alterna- • Consider mixed modes of
Delivery tives giving highest priority delivery but with special
to linking the programme reference to individialized
to the work place self-paced study
Step 5: • Choose participatory • Choose activities which stress
Learning pratical activities which discovery and problem solving
Activities adults are likely to enjoy and which focus on the key
skills and concepts of each area
of each subject being studied
Step 6: • Build this into the graded • Develop cumulative assess-
Assessment competency steps. ment procedures based on
Achievement of each step specific learning outcomes and
indicates level attained design a summative test at a
standard equivalent to the
programme for which the EP
is an alternative
• Design a tracer study to • Plan how to maintain recoords
Step 7:
check on the life-long of the numbers of participants
Programme
learning habits of success- who
Evaluation
ful participants i) obtain their awards and
ii) use their awards for
further education or for
60
Curriculum Step Quality of Life(QLIP) Income Generation (IGP)

Step 1: • Analyze the development • Assess present level of income
Entry Behaviour needs of a given com- of individual and/or target
and Needs munity and arrange the group
Analysis • needs in priority • Analyze the socio-economic
Discuss relative practi- situation to identify potential
cability of projects to meet income-generating projects
the needs
Step 2: • List the objectives of the • List the objectives of the IGP
Objectives QLIP in terms of chang- in terms of new skills to be
ing a present level of acquired and levels of income
dvelopment for a par- to be attained
ticular project to im-
prove levels of develop-
ment
Step 3: • Identify the knowledge, • Identify the knowledge, skills
Content skills and attitudes re- and attitides required to ac-
quired to undertake the quire a new income generating
dvelopment task vocation
Organize the material • Arrange the material into a
into logically sequenced logical series of competency
units of work based modules
Step 4: • Plan to integrate the • Use apprenticeship, on-job and
Delivery study units with the workshop approches integrat-
defined steps of the ing theory and pratical as-
practical development pects in real-life situations
project
Step 5: • These will be defined by • Choose practical workshop
Learning each steps of the develop- activities focusing on the
Activities ment process and must development of the necessary
exactly correlate with skills
these steps
Step 6: • Assessment is built in as • Continuous assessment of
Assessment the project achieves each skills must be allowed for.
step of the development Final assessment could be
plan based on products or goods
prepared and on amount of
money earned
Step 7: • Plan how to assess the • Plan long-term studies of the
Programme extent to which the income levels of all successful
Evaluation develoment project has participants
achieved its overall ob-
jectives and whether or
not it has led to the
emergence of new projects
61
Future Oriented Continuing

Curriculum Step Individual Interest (IIP)
Education (FOCEP)
Step 1: • Identify and recruit • Assess present development
Entry Behaviour potential presenters problems and concerns of
and Needs • Advertise possible courses client (institution, community
Analysis and activities to test etc.)
market viability • Analyze the social climate of
the client group
Step 2: • List the objectives of the • List the objectives of the FOP
Objectives IIP in terms of know- in terms of formulating and
ledge and skills to be planning to achieve future
achieved in specified visions for the client organiza-
areas of interest tion or group
Step 3: • Match the knowledge and • Identify the processes that
Content skills of the IIP presenter would need to be undertaken
with the needs of parti- to formulate the future vision
cipants • Discuss with the group/
• Advise the presenter on institution the development of
an appropriate learning a wrok plan to formulate and
sequence achieve the vision
Step 4: • Consider all possibilities • On job organizational development
Delivery but realize that one modalities are essential.
motive for joining an IIP Presenters should work as
is to share small group members of the groups or
work should be stressed institution undertaking the
FOP
Step 5: • Participants will choose • Choose activities which
Learning their activities according promote leadership skills
Activities to their interests so improve communications,
provide a range of options foster team building and
enhance planning and decision
making skills
Step 6: • Devise a system of self- • Design a system of continuous
Assessment checking on the quality assessment of progress as the
if outcomes e.g. products work plan is implemented
of a hobby group using monitoring committees
Step 7: • Plan how to asses the • Plan how to make a qualitative
Programme extent to which partici- assessment of the final future
Evaluation pants state vision or visions and on the
i) their interests have projected work plan proposed
been catered for and for achieving the vision. Also
ii) that the activities have plan to assess the extent to
broadened and deep- which the organizational/
ened levels of interest group climate has improved
in the areas of cocern as a result of the FOP
intervention
62
E. Conclusion
The design and implementation of an effective programme naturally
determines whether a particular Learning Centre succeeds or fails. There are,
however, two other factors. One is the quality and appropriateness of its
organization and management and the other is the extent to which it has
established appropriate linkages as part of a supportive network. These aspects
are discussed in Chapters Five and Six respectively.
63
Chapter Five
HOW TO ORGANIZE AND STRENGTHEN
LEARNING CENTRES
A. Introduction
This chapter provides guidelines for getting a Learning Centre started
including the need to consider the development situation of the community which
it serves, the range of possible promoters who may be involved and the actual
steps to be followed in getting the Centre under way. It then reviews organ-
izational and management aspects, staff training and development, financial
aspects, physical facilities and resources, and aspects of monitoring and
evaluation.
As in the case of determining overall functions and in designing a general
programme and specific activities, organizational and management aspects are
influenced by the development situation in the community served by the Centre.
In Chapters Two, Three and Four, five types of development situations were
taken as examples. Chapter Five begins with considering how each of these could
influence how a Learning Centre gets started. The five situations are:
l. Social groups at the level of survival
2. Underprivileged social groups
3. Rural development situations
4. Societies in transition from agriculture to industry
5. An affluent urban society in an industrialized economy.
(In the following text, each situation is referred to by its number 1 to 5.)
B. Taking the Development Situation into Account when

Getting Started
The need for establishing Learning Centres in all communities has been
explained and discussed in Chapters One and Two. Often, however, com-
munities fail to establish Centres, especially those in development situations 1, 2
or 3. This is usually because of lack of awareness or failure to appreciate what a
64
How to organize and strengthen learning centres
Learning Centre can do to promote individual and community well-being. In

such a situation, Learning Centres have to be initiated with the help of multi-
media campaigns using all available media resources. In particular, person-to-
person contact and use of local cultural art forms such as dance and drama
provide a good starting point.
Part of the difficulty in many situations of types 1, 2 or 3 is that literacy

per se is not highly valued. Therefore, establishing networks of Learning Centres
could be facilitated if associated with literacy campaigns such as those
successfully implemented by China, India and Viet Nam.
Another important way to get started in situations 1, 2 or 3 is to associate

Learning Centres with key social movements. In many countries, there are
instances where such social movements can “carry the crowds”, especially if they
are associated with ideological programmes aimed at achieving certain
fundamental rights for the people. In fact, mass literacy campaigns are most
effective if literacy can be shown to be a liberating force combating inevitable
discrimination against and exploitation of illiterates. Learning Centres can then
be established through organizing disadvantaged groups with a promise of
empowerment. Centres can then join together in networks and broaden their
functions.
In the case of societies in situation 4, many Learning Centres would

already exist. In establishing a new Centre, therefore, the promoter, either
government or non-government, will need to ensure that the Centre joins the
existing network and seeks help from other Centres in determining needs and in
sharing experiences. It is likely that basic literacy will not be a prime concern
and so any new Centre will probably focus on skill development programmes to
enhance quality of life and to improve income (ATLP-CE, QLIP and IGP).
Departments of Non-Formal Education are likely to have a role to play especially
if certificates or other awards are required. These can be provided through
equivalency programmes (EP). Equivalency programmes can also help to solve
staff shortages by involving student volunteers who work for credits. Learning
Centres in situation 4 need to establish strong links with the market-place,
private enterprise and credit institutions.
65
In the case of societies in situation 5, the idea of a Learning Centre is well

developed and advocacy is not an issue. Promoters of new Centres need to obtain
information about what new skills are needed by the local community, what
personal enrichment programmes already exist, what are the likely future job
requirements and what are the emerging social trends and issues. Relevant
programmes can then be developed and information disseminated to the
community using the mass media and other forms of communication. The
promoter will also have to be careful about the selection of an appropriate central
location and places for satellite venues.
C. Types of Learning Centres and their Settings

As discussed in previous chapters, Learning Centres usually begin simply
and then grow as the needs of a particular community change and develop.
Growth is in terms of both their settings and their programmes.
This idea is illustrated in Figure 5.1 below:
Several points emerge from a study of Figure 5.1:
a) The lack of physical resources is not necessarily a barrier to making a start.
b) It is possible to make do with existing settings and venues, at least initially.
c) Certain settings are appropriate for certain types of activities and
modes of delivery but not for others.
d) Access is an important criterion in establishing a Learning Centre.
There is an obvious correlation between the most likely type of setting
and the breadth of a Centre’s activities, on the one hand, and the development
situation, on the other. Centres in situations 1, 2 and 3 are more likely to have
simple settings and narrower programmes than those in situations 4 or 5.
Nevertheless, it is important not to accept minimal standards and to foster a
programme of growth.
66
In rural communities -
locate learning centres within walking distance of learners
“A Learning Centre
Community Based
is where several people gather
Home Based
and there is Learning Programme
and Materials”
1. OUTDOOR
(Example : Basic Education, Functional Literacy,
Agricultural Training, Awareness of Legal Rights)
2. A CORNER OF A FACTORY
(Example: Continuing Education, Skill
development, union activities)
3. IN A ROOM OF A HOUSE
(Example: Organized group
for Distance Education)
4. ONE ROOM OF A BUILDING
(Example: Library and Resource Centre)
5. ONE BUILDING
(Example: Community Village, Theatre, Special
Building)
6. A WHOLE COMPOUND
(Multi Functional)
Figure 5.1 Learning Centres Grow in terms of both settings

and programmes as the communities they serve
continue to develop
67
D. Potential Promoters
Learning Centres can be initiated by many types of agencies within a
community. Some potential promoters include the following:
♦ Village or urban community groups
♦ Departments of Non-formal Education
♦ Formal educational institutions
♦ Non-government organizations
♦ Religious institutions
♦ Charitable organizations
♦ Registered societies
♦ Workers/farmers co-operatives
♦ Municipalities and local government agencies
♦ Youth/women clubs
♦ Line agencies of government departments
♦ People’s organizations or federations of people’s organizations
♦ Individual activists and community leaders
♦ Common interest groups
Private enterprise agencies. In many cases, Learning Centres are estab-
lished by consortia involving two or more types of promoters working together in
partnership. In particular, it is common for government and non-government
agencies to work together in this way.
As discussed in Chapter Two, the type of relationship existing between a
promoter and the beneficiaries of a Learning Centre is very significant. It is
important that they work together as partners and in a spirit of mutual trust
and cooperation. Ideally, a Centre should be perceived to be the property of the
people it serves and to be managed by the people.
Again, however, the development situation affects this relationship. In
situations 1, 2 and 3, it is likely that a government or non-government agency
will take the initial step in establishing a Centre. In situations 4 or 5, it is more
likely that the initiative will come from community members themselves.
68
E. Getting to know the Community

As discussed in Chapter Four, a promoter’s first task is to find out as
much as possible about the community to be served by the Learning Centre. This
may involve surveys, the analysis of documents and reports, and a great deal of
first-hand observation and face-to-face interviews and discussions, possibly in the
homes of the potential beneficiaries.
It is also important to find out what resources are available in terms of
infrastructure, physical resources, potential presenters and learning materials.
All this information should be put together as a resource inventory. In even the
simplest and least developed situation, there is usually a wealth of resources
which can be applied to meet the learning requirements of the community. Such
resources include local wisdom, local technologies, under-used or unused space
both natural and constructed, the skills of local officials of line agencies, resources
of churches, temples and other religious institutions, commercial organizations
such as shops and other business enterprises, and so on. Involve the potential
clients of the Learning Centre in building up the resource inventory. It will help
them understand their surroundings, their local environment and their
development needs.
Essentially, what this process involves is preparing a “map” of the
community. This idea is illustrated for a small rural villag e in Figure 5.2.
If other Learning Centres already exist in the community it is also
important to liaise with them, and to seek their help and support. Care should
be taken not to duplicate programmes unless there is a clear demand (see
Chapter Seven on Networking).
F. Initiating or Strengthening a Learning Centre

Once a clear picture of the community has been obtained and inventories
of resources established, the Learning Centre can go ahead. Figure 5.3
illustrates the first step of marshalling together the local personnel who could
become involved in establishing the Centre.
69
Task 1: Draw map of community in detail Task 2: Identity all the resources
available in
and locate the following: the community and make
lists; e.g.:
- learners houses - historical figures
- infrastructure - local wisdom
- mountains, lakes, etc. - folklore, poems, music, etc.
- scenic sites - lists of useful plants, flowers
- historical sites - handicrafts, weaving
- speciality foods
- historical events
- changes of season
- main crops
- master craftsmen or women
Task 3: Draw a map
Task 4 : Build a rough model Building a model of a community

from the above map will help learners understand their
surrounding, local environment,
resources and developmental needs.
Figure 5.2 Mapping the resources of a village community
70
Health Agency Agriculture Agency
Voluntary Organization Industry
LEARNING
CENTRE
Local Technology Market
Wisdom
Local Culture
School
Religious
Institution
Home
Figure 5.3 Agencies which could provide personnel needed

by a Learning Centre
Since a Learning Centre is of the people and for the people, they must
perceive it as arising from their own initiatives to meet their explicit needs.
Therefore, the establishment of any new Centre involves considerable tact and
sensitivity. This is particularly the case in communities where the concept is
relatively new and untried.
If the promoter, whether from the government or from an NGO, tries to
simply impose a Learning Centre on a community, such a Centre will work only
until external funding is no longer available. A Learning Centre can only become
an effective, self-sustaining means for community development if the people in
the community are mobilized to set up and manage the Centre themselves.
The following account describes how a Learning Centre could be
established in a rural village community where the idea of such a centre is
relatively new. In such a situation, promoters could proceed step by step as follows:
71
1. Promoters meet community leaders to discuss community problems

and how a Learning Centre could help solve some of them.
2. Promoters and community leaders then form a task force or com-
mittee to mobilize the community for action.
3. On an appropriate day, all of the villagers gather together in an open
space. Posters, banners, processions, displays and cultural events are
presented to explain the reason for the gathering.
4. During the gathering, an important personality, not necessarily a
government official but a popular and well-known identity, opens the
proceedings. He or she calls all of the villagers to join together to
solve the most pressing immediate problems of their community.
These problems might be the need for a new road, the provision of
clean drinking water, the building of a school playground and so on.
5. A mass movement launched in this way could last for one to three
days during which there could be songs, prayers and community
feasting, together with two or three meetings per day to discuss
community problems and how they might be solved by self-action.
6. At the end of the mass movement day or days, a Village Committee is
set up to organize the village development tasks identified by the
gathering. The Village Committee could work continuously on these
tasks and perhaps be registered with the local government.
7. The Village Committee then sets up the Learning Centre as the
agency to implement the proposed developments. It should be seen by
all to be an organization that empowers the people to take action in
development projects by providing them with education, training and
leadership, particularly through literacy and continuing education
programmes.
8. The Village Committee then establishes a series of working groups
such as the following:
a) Women’s Group to organize activities in areas such as provision of
p r e - s c h o o l i n g , w o m e n ’s l i t e r a c y, n u t r i t i o n , a w a r e n e s s o f t h e
changing social roles of women, women’s rights and so on.
72
b) Children’s Group to organize primary schooling, out-of-school

education, kitchen gardens, saving schemes, sports and so on.
c) Youth Group to organize continuing education programmes such
as post-literacy and equivalency courses, sporting activities,
volunteer social clubs, and groups, cleanliness campaigns and so on.
d) Farmers Group to organize modern farming practices, diversi-
fication of agriculture, a savings and loan scheme for farmers and
so on.
e) Vi l l a g e E l d e r s G r o u p t o m a i n t a i n a c o n t i n u o u s d i s c u s s i o n o f
village problems, to ensure that villagers meet regularly to discuss
problems and projects and to organize funding for the Learning
Center.
9. The Village Committee formed during the mobilization process then is
constituted as a general Consultative Council for the Learning
Centre. At the same time, an Executive Body is appointed to oversee
the day-to-day work of the Centre.
10. The Learning Centre then defines its role by discussions between the
Consultative Council, the Executive Body and the action groups. A
one-year action programme is prepared and a possible five-year
programme is foreshadowed.
11. The Executive Body and the Consultative Council then identify other
local organizations working in the community which could be
mobilized in support of the work of the Centre. These may include the
temple or mosque, schools, health centres, various NGOs, agricultural
extension offices and so on. These organizations are contacted to get
their help and support for long-term programmes and a network
begins to be established.
12. The Learning Centre then starts its programme of activities utilizing
the voluntary work of the various action groups with some financial
and other support from the community and from relevant government
offices. While the purpose of the programme is to help people learn, it
must meet the needs of the clientele and be within the capability of
the available volunteer groups. Physical facilities, including building
73
and furnishings, are also organized with the help of the subgroups
and perhaps utilizing the existing resources of a local community
centre or school.
13. The Learning Centre must arrange training for its staff who will
eventually conduct programmes such as the following:
♦ Preschool activities
♦ Literacy and post-literacy classes
♦ Out-of-school children’s programmes
♦ Equivalency CE programmes
♦ QLIP-CE programmes, either comprehensive or in specific areas
such as nutrition, health, immunization
♦ IGP CE programmes for farmers, artisans, youth and so on
♦ IIP CE programmes to enrich community life
♦ FOP CE for community leaders
14. E i t h e r a r i s i n g f r o m t h e i n i t i a t i v e o f t h e n e w c e n t r e o r f r o m i t s
network or from some other source, a resource backup should then
emerge to facilitate the work of the Centre. Each Learning Centre
needs help with staff training, curriculum development, learning
materials and programme planning. What is needed is a Resource
Centre which can provide this help. Ideally, there should be one such
Resource Centre to support ten to fifteen Learning Centres. Such
Resource Centres, therefore, could be at District or Provincial Level.
They should be formed co-operatively involving both government and
non-government inputs. Each should have an Executive Committee
and be part of a nation-wide network of such Centres. They should be
supported by a national level policy group which could also assist with
certain aspects of management and funding (see Section G below on
Infrastructure).
The above account is based on a specific situation - that of a rural village
in a developing country. But the stages in the process have general application.
These stages are as follows:
74
Creation of Community Awareness
Mobilization of Community or
of groups within the Community
Formation of a Learning Centre

to solve identified community problems
Appointment of a Consultative Committee

and Executive Body
Establishment of action groups
Design of programme
Establishment of support linkages
Organization of physical resources
Implementation of programme utilizing

Volunteers from the action groups
Staff training
Expansion of programme
Development of district or provincial resource centres

and national networks
Strengthening of national policy,

commitment and support
This general procedure applies whether the situation is in a rural village

in a country with a basic agricultural economy or in the suburb of a city in a
fully industrialized country. Just. how each step is undertaken in each situation,
75
however, will vary according to the developmental situation - the socio-economic

context, the specific learning needs of the community, and the objectives and
philosophy of the promoter. In the example given above, the initiative was taken
by a promoter - a necessary step for the creation of awareness. In another
situation, the initiative may well be taken directly by specific community action
groups.
G. Organizational Infrastructure
Setting up a single community-based Learning Centre in isolation is
unlikely to make any significant impact on the development of a country. It
must be part of a network of such Centres linked to other types of development
agencies (see Chapter Seven). In order to harness resources of larger admin-
istrative, social and political instrumentalities at local, provincial and national
level, a system of supporting resource and training centres is needed at each
level. If an infrastructure already exists for continuing education of the type
recommended in ATLP-CE Volume I, then the resource centres suggested here
could be part of that infrastructure. In any event, some such multilevel support
is needed. This idea is illustrated in Figure 5.4 and aspects at each level are
briefly discussed below.
a) Community Level
Each individual Learning Centre will have to identify potential learning
groups and involve them in the activities of the Centre. Initially groups may have
to meet in peoples’ homes until facilities at the Centre become adequate. This is
especially the case for literacy and post-literacy classes and in particular for
women. These learning groups could be organized and run by volunteers
supported by the resources of the Learning Centre. This idea is illustrated in
Figure 5.5.
I n c i d e n t a l l y, t h e i d e a o f s a t e l l i t e v e n u e s i s a g o o d o n e i n m a n y
circumstances. For example, in large cities the main Learning Centre serving a
cluster of suburbs could establish venues for learning groups in many nearby
locations such as community halls, sporting complexes, shopping centres, private
76
homes, clubs and so on. In fact, this frequently occurs in the case of Learning
Centres in development situation 5 - see Chapter Four for an example.
Network of co-operating Learning

Centres functioning in:
l. Education and training

COMMUNITY LEVEL 2. Community information
3. Community development
4. Co-ordination and networking
Provincial Resource Centre providing:

1. Materials development:
PROVINCIAL LEVEL 2. Training of trainers
3. Advisory services
4. Networking
National Co-ordination Committee for

Continuing Education providing:
1. General policy
NATIONAL LEVEL 2. Financial and technical support
3. Network coordination
4. International linkages
Figure 5.4 Organizational levels in the support of

Learning Centres
77
Learning Group Community Based Learning Group

Learning Centre
Learning Group Learning Group
Learning Group
Home Based Activities
Learner’s Home Learner’s Home Learner’s Home
Figure 5.5 Learning groups to be established in different

venues could initially meet in people’s homes
Also, at the community level the Learning Centre should provide

resources and training for volunteers working with learning groups. The Centre
will also need to establish links with other nearby Centres and draw on their
expertise, experience and resources. It should also establish strong vertical links
within the Learning Centre/Continuing Education infrastructure at district,
provincial and national levels and draw on the resources available at these
higher levels.
78
b) Provincial Level
At the provincial level, resource and support Centres might well be
established. They could have an intersectoral role co-ordinating and harnessing
resources of all sectors in support of the Learning Centre network.
Perhaps at the provincial level all promoters of Learning Centres, or the
Learning Centres themselves, could be registered as societies or charitable trusts
legally entitled to obtain donations from government and non-government
sources.
Other functions at provincial level could be the development of learning
materials, training the trainer activities, coordination of relevant development
agencies, development of mass media campaigns and lobbying for political
support.
c) National Level
At the national level, a National Co-ordination Committee for Continuing
Education or some similar body should be responsible for formulating and
modifying national policy in regard to Learning Centres. Such a body could also
suggest strategies to lower levels based on experiences of several provinces.
Similarly, it could document and disseminate experience from other countries.
The national-level body therefore should be part of an international network of
governments and institutions willing to share experience in this area.
At the national level, any co-ordinating body could also provide funds to
support efforts at provincial and community levels. It could also play an
important motivational role by encouraging eminent thinkers, artists, writers,
religious leaders and politicians to support Learning Centre programmes.
H. Management of a Learning Centre

In most cases, Learning Centres are non-profit organizations, especially
in development situations 1 to 4. In development situations, however, some
Centres may be established by private enterprise with the aim of making profits
from selling services.
79
Each Learning Centre, however, should be managed by a Learning

Centre Committee representative of local community interests. In most cases,
members of such a committee should be unpaid volunteers.
a) Suggested Composition of Learning Centre Committee

Typical committees consist of the following types of people:
♦ Community heads/politicians
♦ Community leaders
♦ Social workers
♦ School teachers
♦ Students
♦ Representatives of the clientele
♦ Business representatives
♦ Representatives of line agencies
b) Functions of the Learning Centre Committee

The functions of a Learning Centre Management Committee usually
include the following:
1. Undertaking needs and resource surveys and preparing resource

inventories (see section E above).
2. Sensitizing the community to the need for change and heightening
awareness about national concerns, constitutional rights and so on.
3. Fostering a spirit of democratic participation by all members of the
community.
4. Organizing the resources and facilities of the Learning Centre.
5. Setting the Centre’s objectives and types of activities for each of its
functions.
6. Recruiting full-time and part-time staff, including the involvement of
volunteers.
7. Designing the educational programmes.
80
8. Developing strategies for mobilizing resources including promoting

networking and linkages.
9. Supervising the implementation of the programme.
10. Monitoring the programme.
11. Participating in evaluating the Centre’s effectiveness.
12. Assisting the Centre organizer in formulating policy in response to
changing needs and circumstances.
13. Managing and supervising finances of the Centre.
I. Staffing
Staffing patterns will naturally vary from Centre to Centre according to
their resources and scope. Paid staff should be both full-time and part-time and
they should be supported by teams of unpaid volunteers. The following is a
suggestion only for the staffing of a representative Learning Centre.
a) Learning Centre Organizer

Every Learning Centre requires the services of at least one full-time
committed and competent organizer. He or she should be paid from the Centre’s
budget or by the government or non-government agency which established the
centre. In development situations 1 to 4, the salary would most likely come from
outside sources. In development situation 5, Centres usually fund themselves
and the organizer’s salary would be met from fees for services.
The duties of the Learning Centre organizer usually include the following:
1. Assisting the community in identifying its learning needs.
2. Advising the Management Committee on policy.
3. Assisting the Management Committee in designing the programme.
4. Organizing the learning activities of the Centre.
5. Administering the budget.
6. Supervising the staff.
7. Organizing staff training, especially for volunteers.
8. Organizing the library and documentation.
81
9. Supervising the development and distribution of materials.

10. Seeking the services of resource persons from line agencies and other
local sources.
11. E n c o u r a g i n g i n v o l v e m e n t b y l o c a l v o l u n t e e r s s u c h a s e d u c a t e d
women and youth.
12. Establishing and supervising information services, counselling and
advisory services, general community functions, community develop-
ment projects and so on.
13. Reporting on the activities of the Learning Centre to the Management
Committee.
b) Instructors/Facilitators
In most Centres, the programme is implemented by part-time paid staff
assisted by volunteers, although some well-funded Centres may have a core of
full-time personnel. In development situations 1 to 4, local experts, artisans and
craftspeople, artists, athletes, musicians, teachers and so on may be motivated to
share knowledge, wisdom and skills with the local community and with
neighbouring communities. In development situation 5, presenters offer specified
courses and activities which are tested by market forces and maintained
according to demand.
Duties of instructors/facilitators include the following:
1. Organizing learning activities including skills training.
2. Organizing general social activities, e.g. social club.
3. Contributing to information, advisory and counselling services.
4. Organizing demonstration activities.
5. Organizing and leading field visits, travel programmes, sporting
activities and so on.
6. Assisting in general aspects of management and administration.
c) Volunteers
Wherever possible volunteers should be recruited to assist in staffing and
organizing the Centre. Since the support of volunteers cannot always be
assumed, some system of incentives is desirable. This may take the form of
82
community recognition, free access to certain activities of the Centre’s

programme, especially where fees are usually involved (e.g., a development
situation) or through the award of course credits for work done. This latter
approach is especially successful in equivalency programmes in NFE Centres in
countries such as Thailand and in Centres established by formal education
institutions in industrialized countries such as Australia.
Duties of volunteers can include the following:
1. Assisting with organizing and administering the Centre.
2. Persuading learners to participate in the programme
3. Teaching basic literacy and post literacy programmes
4. Organizing discussion forums.
5. Promoting reading habits among learners.
6. Selecting and managing appropriate satellite venues.
7. Functioning as teaching aides.
8. Organizing and running meetings.
9. Helping with social activities, sporting activities and the like.
10. Recruiting other volunteers.
J. Staff Training and Development

Staff training is an important function of any Centre. Whenever possible
the Centre organizer and the staff of instructors/facilitators should be trained at
the district or provincial level Centre (see Figure 5.4). In such cases, they should
follow a modular training curriculum of the type outlined in ATLP-CE Volume I.
However, regardless of whether or not all personnel of a particular Centre have
access to training at that level, each Centre should provide its own in-house staff
development activities.
Training within a Centre should be largely on-the-job backed up by
appropriate training guide-books and manuals. These should be available from
the District or Provincial Resources and Training Centres or developed and made
available by the Centre promoters.
An in-house on-the-job staff training and development programme could
have the following elements (Figure 5.6).
83
Personnel to be Trained Trainer/s Content of Training
1. Member of the Promoter Orientation on roles and functions

LearningCentre Broad principles of management
Committee
2. Organizer of the Promoter Duties and tasks

Learning Centre How to motivate community
How to organize and manage the
Centre
How to organize and deliver the
programme
Group dynamics
Teaching learning methodology
Principles of adult learning
Supervision, monitoring and
reporting
Financial management
Evaluation of learning
Counselling technique
Housekeeping functions
Staff training procedures
Resource management
Co-ordination, linkages and net-
working
3. Instructors/ Promoters and Presentation skills

Facilitators Organizer Adult teaching methodology
Motivating learners
Marketing of products
Working with volunteers
Scheduling and programming
Evaluation of learning
Management skills
4. Volunteers Organizer and Motivation of learning

Instructors/ Management skills
Facilitators Techniques for literacy and post-
literacy
Adult teaching methodology
Roles of teaching aides
Supervision of informal activities
Figure 5.6 An internal staff development programme for

a Learning Centre
84
K. Financial Resources
The programme of a Centre and the scope of its activities depends of
course on its financial resources and the support it enjoys from the community.
One thing is clear: the restructuring of the economy in most Member States is
such that few if any governments can afford to meet all of the costs of
establishing and running Learning Centres. To a degree, they must be self-
funding. Some possible sources of funding and support are indicated in the
following diagram (Figure 5.7).
? Membership drives
? Renting space
? Hiring out resources
? Sale of products
SELF ? Money from exhibitions, demonstration,
cultural shows, etc.
GENERATED ? Self made resources
? Sale of services (e.g. consultancies)
? Fees from participants
? Revolving funds with some profit
? Returns on investments
? Patronage and sponsorship

? Volunteerism
? Gifts of money, materials, venues, etc.
GIFTS AND
? Government subsidies - local, provincial,
DONATIONS national
? Project funding - national, international
? NGO support
? Fund raising campaigns
? Loans of books etc. (e.g. from libraries)

BORROWING ? Equipment, venues etc. borrowed or
rented at low cost from others
AND
? Centres, schools etc.
LOW COST ? Conjoint activities sharing the resources
HIRING of industry, commerce, etc.
? Low interest loans
Figure 5.7 Sources of funding and support for Learning Centres

85
L. Learning Resources
Learning Centres are not like schools which generally have a set cur-
riculum that changes very little from year to year. Learning Centres must be
flexible and totally responsive to the changing day-to-day needs of their clientele.
While they should put together a permanent core of materials - especially in
areas such as literacy, post-literacy and equivalency - they should also have an
open policy in regard to rapid on-the-spot production of materials and a system
for borrowing or renting materials and resources as needs arise.
In particular, the types of resources needed by a Learning Centre include
the following (ATLP-CE Volume I, pp. 49-50):
♦ Individualized materials
♦ Multi-media resources
♦ Posters and charts
♦ Software for electronic A-V equipment
♦ Computer software
♦ Textbooks and reference books
♦ Leaflets, pamphlets, brochures and booklets
♦ Novels
♦ Duplicated notes
♦ Quizzes and tests
♦ Educational games
♦ Maps, globes, etc.
♦ Newspapers and magazines.
Learning support materials required include the following:

♦ Writing materials
♦ Type writers
♦ Graphic art supplies
♦ Public address system
♦ Loud hailers
♦ Transport facilities
♦ Duplicating/photocopying machines
♦ Notice boards
♦ First aid facilities
♦ Health-oriented facilities
♦ Audio-visual equipment
Workshop equipment
86
♦ Computers
♦ Word processors
♦ Recreational/sporting equipment.
In terms of specific resources needed for the various types of courses
advocated under ATLP and ATLP-CE, some suggestions are given below in
Figure 5.8.
BASIC LITERACY:
General functional literacy curriculum
Graded functional literacy and numeracy materials written for young people and
adults
z activity oriented
POST-LITERACY (PLP): EQUIVALENCY (EP):

Graded post-literacy curriculum Syllabus for the equivalent courses
Wide range of post-literacy learning Textbooks and other materials written
materials carefully graded for the in an alternative style
curriculum and including both print A range of self-study materials
and non-print resources prepared for young people and
adults
QUALITY OF LIFE INCOME GENERATING (IGP):

IMPROVEMENT (QLIP):
Materials on project design and Marketing and small business
management management materials
Access to ongoing community develop- Access to resources and venues for
ment projects developing relevant practical skills
Facility to develop flexible resources to Interaction with relevant sections of
meet changing needs the community
INDIVIDUAL INTEREST FUTURE ORIENTED CONTINU-

PROMOTIONS (IIP): ING
Wide range of learning resources EDUCATION (FOCEP):
according to need Materials on the visioning process
Access to community resources and Organizational renewal materials
specialized venues Leadership and other management
Register of places to visit training materials
Planning documents
Figure 5.8 Essential learning resources for the types of

educational programmes presented by a
Learning Centre
87
M. Managing Educational Coureses and Activities

The clientele of the educational and training programmes of a Learning
Centre are young people and adults from all walks of all levels of
education from illiteracy to postdoctoral. They attend according to individual
need which may range from basic literacy to advanced aspects of computing or
other areas of technology. Clients may be individuals seeking specific knowledge
or skills or families needing support services, post-literacy or income generating
programmes. There could also be community groups with common concerns or
interests such as the need for education to organize a community development
programme or who may commission the Centre to organize a QLIP. Clients
could be organizations or businesses or institutions seeking organizational
renewal programmes with a special focus on preparing for the future. Another
category of clients could be employers seeking to upgrade the qualifications and
skills of their staff in general education and in specific work-related areas.
Whoever the clients may be, the staff of the Centre must diagnose their
needs and provide appropriate activities and courses. the types of courses
proposed under ATLP-CE would be likely to meet most needs. These types are
as follows:
1. Basic Literacy - the ATLP Programmes

2. Post-literacy Porgrammes (PLP)
3. Equivalency Programmes (EP)
4. Quality of Life Improvement Programmes (QLIP)
5. Income-Generating Programmes (IGP)
6. Individual Interest Promotion Programmes (IIP)
7. Future-Oriented Programmes (FOP)
Some clients may require elements from more than one of these types of
courses and activities. If so, the Centre should be sufficiently flexible to put
together specific programmes for specific groups to meet their specific needs. For
example, a particular community group may require a QLIP with a focus on
income generation and involving the upgrading of post-literacy skills. An
employer may wish to have a programme designed for the specific vocational
88
interests of his or her staff (an IIP) while at the same time providing an
opportunity for a formal qualification to be obtained by alternative means (an
EP).
Figure 5.9 suggests how the staff of a Learning Centre could counsel and
advise clients on the types of courses or activities they could undertake. The
steps in the procedure are as follows:
Step 1: Diagnosis
Through interviews and an examination of past records (and perhaps
if necessary with the help of placement tests), the educational
standards, interests and aspirations of the client should be assessed.
Placement tests are especially important if there is some possibility
that literacy and numeracy skills are inadequate. The client could be
advised to take some elements of basic literacy or post-literacy, with or
without seeking an educational award or certificate.
Step 2: Defining Objectives

The client should then discuss which educational objectives can be
pursued to meet his or her needs. These should be carefully formulated
and for literate clients given in writing.
Step 3: Prescription
A programme of courses and activities should then be prepared
through consultation and an educational plan drawn up. This may
involve enrolment in one or more courses offered by the Centre and/or
a programme of inclividual study. The dotted lines joining the types of
programmes at the bottom of Figure 5.9 show that the courses and
activities of a Centre should be interactive and that clients can
combine elements from various types of programmes according to
need.
89
DIAGNOSIS
Interview
Records
PRESCRIPTION Tests
No Literacy Yes
Satisfactory
No Basic Skills Yes No Income Yes

Satisfactory Satisfactory
Enrichment
Remedial
Community Present
Award
or Individual or Future
Required
Focus Focus
No Yes
Community
Individual
Present
Focus
Future
Focus
Focus
Focus
Basic Post Income Quality Individual Future

Literacy Literacy Equivalency Generating of Life Interest Oriented
( AT L P ) (PLP) (EP) (IGP) (QLIP) (IIP) (FOP)
..........
..........
..........
..........
..........
..........
..........
...............................................................................................................................
Figure 5.9 Selecting educational and training programmes for

clients of a Learning Centre
90
Step 4: Implementation
The client then undertakes the programme under the supervision of
Centre staff.
Step 5: Monitoring and Evaluation

As the learning activities proceed, Centre staff should monitor progress
and ensure that the agreed objectives remain appropriate and are
being achieved. They should also evaluate the degree of overall
success and the quality of the final outcomes.
Step 6: Further Diagnosis

The client may be satisfied, at least for a time, with achieving his or
her objectives formulated in Step 2. But as it is likely that one aim of
the Centre is to promote lifelong learning, the client may return for
further education, either immediately or at some later time. When
that occurs, the cycle is repeated.
A Centre may not be able to provide all types of courses needed by

clients and what can be offered will depend on resources available.
N. Monitoring
The nature and scope of monitoring will depend upon the client group, the
objectives of the Learning Centre and the level of development of the community.
If the Learning Centre is concerned with basic literacy, post-literacy or
equivalency, the monitoring has to be rigorous and continuous. Monitoring has
to keep track of enrollments, attendance, dropout rate, rate of progress in
learning, quality of learning, motivation of volunteers, quality and extent of
training imparted, community involvement, distribution of materials, quality of
materials supplied, suitability of materials, need for modification of materials,
problems being faced by learners and volunteers and so on. Monitoring should
make available of timely feedback to ensure corrective action. The monitoring
forms and instruments should be in simple language and training in their use
should be given in advance.
91
As levels of literacy and post-literacy improve and a Centre addresses

Quality of Life Improvement Programmes (QLIP) and other forms of continuing
education, monitoring may not need to be so rigorous. This is because, as the
motivation of a learner increases, the utility and validity of a programme is
determined by its quality and by market requirements. The market mechanism
of demand and supply provides a self-correcting mechanism.
O. Evaluation of Outcomes and Effectiveness

Learning Centres should develop a participatory non-threatening system
of evaluation at all levels and stages of its learning programme. Thc first and
foremost concern is to retain the confidence and interest of the learner.
The following approaches are recommended:
♦ Self- assessment / evaluation by the learner.
♦ Learning outcome evaluation jointly by learners and instructors.
♦ Learning outcome evaluation by any certifying agency, if such is
required.
♦ Programme evaluation by the Learning Centre Committee.
The way the programmes are designed and presented can facilitate
evaluation, especially self-evaluation by the learners themselves. The materials
can be based an a principle of progression from stage to stage involving a series of
sequential learning units or modules. Self-assessment exercises can be built in.
In such cases, marks or grades need not be given at all and the instructors may
focus on constructive guidance and encouragement.
Evaluation of learning outcomes should, therefore, be concerned with
helping participants to learn and to sharpen their awareness about issues such
as personal rights, national concerns, and how to take advantage of opportunities
for self-improvement and increased income. It should help them articulate their
views and their capacity to communicate with others.
Evaluation of individual efforts, therefore, should be non-threatening,
participatory and enjoyable. It should focus on helping learners assess their
strengths and weaknesses. Only those learners who are involved in equivalency
92
programmes should be evaluated more formally to satisfy the requirements of

certifying agencies.
At the level of programme evaluation and evaluation of the overall
effectiveness of a Learning Centre, the Learning Centre Committee should take
the initiative but may need to call on outside experts to assess the changing
learning requirements of the community, the effectiveness of the curriculum and
educational processes and the quality of the instructors, facilitators and
volunteers. Such evaluative studies are important to provide feedback for
modifying the programme and for determining the training needs of the staff.
The learners themselves provide the richest input to such studies.
P. Conclusion
Ideally, an effective Learning Centre should be owned and managed by
the people it serves. Organizationally, it should be run by a management
committee fully representative of the staff of the Centre and of the community. It
should seek and gain the support of the community, which should see the Centre
as a focal point for development and social interaction. It should therefore serve
the needs of all young people and adults regardless of their income levels,
educational background, beliefs, ethnicity, gender or age. The Centre should be
open to all with a genuine desire to learn and to become more effective
individuals and more responsible and responsive members of society.
The characteristics of an effective, well-managed Learning Centre are
summarized in the following diagram (Figure 5.10) which is derived from the
check list given on pp. 51-52 of ATLP-CE Volume I.
93
**********************************************************
AN EFFECTIVELY MANAGED LEARNING CENTRE
IS
♦ A Strategically Located Place
♦ Where Youth and Adults can Learn
♦ Owned and Managed by the People it Serves
♦ With Open Access for All
And
♦ Serving the Needs of a Local Community
* Providing
• Attention to individual and community needs
• A positive learning environment
• Access to formal, non-formal and informal learning opportunities
• Regular, flexible, low cost programmes and activities
• Access to all CE activities in the district
* Having
• A qualified dedicated staff of facilitators
• A wide range of learning resources
• An adequate recurrent budget
• Strong community support
• Effective links with the national CE network
* Using
• Methods appropriate for youth and adults
• Multi-media approaches
• A variety of delivery modes
• A wide range of local agencies and providers
• Dynamic and responsive strategies
* And Dedicated to
• Personal Development
• Community Development
• National Development
• Global Development and Peace
Figure 5.10 Characteristics of an effectively

managed Learning Centre
94
Chapter Six
PHYSICAL SETTING OF LEARNING CENTRES
-BUILDINGS AND FURNISHINGS
A. Introduction - Location and Space

The Learning Centre should be located preferably in a public building
easily accessible to the learners of the target community at a time convenient to
them. It should have adequate space to satisfy four major functions of Learning
Centres (Chapter Three).
@Education and Training : General learning and training space for

the community vocational training
spaces (if required)
Specialized space for training Continuing
Education personnel.
Discussion rooms and halls for plenary
meetings.
@Community Information : Library
and Dissemination of Newspaper display
Resources Exhibition space
Storage facilities
Spaces for individual counselling
Domestic facilities e.g. toilets, kitchens,
dining areas, etc.
@ Community Development : Meeting and planning rooms
Sports and recreational areas
@ Co-ordination and : Meeting spaces
Networking Communication resources
As has been noted elsewhere, not all of these resources need to be

provided within a single building. Many Learning Centres establish satellite
venues for particular activities.
95
B. Examples of Learning Centres - Planning Principles

Two examples of the layout of modest Learning Centres established to
serve the needs of rural development situations are illustrated below in Figures
6.1 and 6.2. In each case, the following planning principles were observed:
Figure 6.1 Layout of village temple Learning Centre in a rural

development situation
96
Buildings and furnishings
2
2
2
12
3 1
1
Library
Area for
literacy classes
12
3 3 12 12
1
1
2 7 5
3 3
13 13 13
Area for 6
1 vocational
training 4
1
9
12 Area for self study
11
2
8
1. Tables and chairs 5. TV and video corner 10. Forms

2. Black/white boards 6. Drinking water 11. Visual slide/OHP
3. Poster board 7. Table for teacher/librarian 12. Book shelves
4. Radio and tape corner 8.-9. Listening booths 13. Corner for individual study
Figure 6.2 Layout of a community Learning Centre focusing on

basic literacy, post-literacy and vocational training
97
♦ plan so that the learning centre will be sustainable

♦ design to reflect the area and natural environment
♦ design to promote hands-on experience
♦ provide boundary walls to define the total learning environment
♦ combine built space, half-built space and open space to be used for
learning, so that the cost will be reduced
♦ utilize every corner of the learning environment to maximize the use
of space
♦ plan to use two or three shifts a day and throughout the year
♦ design to make a learner-centred environment
♦ design to reflect the culture and social environment of the
community to be served by the Centre
There should be provision for safe drinking water, good sanitation, proper
lighting facilities and good ventilation. A Learning Centre can ensure a healthy
environment within the community’s resources and provide a model for the
learners to follow at home. A suggested checklist for a healthy living environ-
ment is given in Figure 6.3.
C. Utilizing and Adapting Existing Facilities

Attempts should be made to locate the Learning Centre in an existing
facility such as the following.
♦ Community hall/village hall
♦ Adult/non-formal education centre
♦ School
♦ Library
♦ Reading Centre/village reading centre
♦ Religious centre
♦ Co-operative
98
Deal with the problem

Boundary wall of bush,
trench with plants
within the means of
the local community
VENTILATION GARDEN OF LEARNING:

- cross ventilation Provide boundary wall to
- if there is bad odour, find source of the define a total learning
odour and try to improve the situation environment
by solving the problem in an innovative
way
NOISE LEVEL
- reduce by covering hard surface with
soft material such as bamboo mats, Paved-open to sky
carton box, clothes, etc. Under shade of tree Pavillon-semi open Room
HEAT
- by planting trees - locating the building
North/South to avoid maximum exposure
to sun - installing bamboo mat ceiling
LIGHTING
- avoid dark spots in the room and try to get
balanced natural lighting from both sides hearing distance
Collection of rain water
of a room and create window if possible- speakers stand back to back
use natural light, kerosene lamp or electric
lighting
WATER
- to wash hands
hand towel drinking drinking
- to drink and cook - be sure to boil water a pall of water
water cups
for drinking for washing
soap
- to clean room and toilet hands
- to use for science experiment. plants,
vegetables, etc.
fly screen
inaccessable
TOILET to ants
- insist on establishing a toilet cockroaches
and rats
GARBAGE DISPOSAL
- by incinerator, compost
DRAINAGE SYSTEM
- with community self-help, try to solve
the drainage problem Cabbage burn in an
always incinerator
keep or in an bury in
REST AREA covered oil drum the ground
- try to create a comfortable comer, indoor
or outdoor
SPORTS
- for individual health and community
activity, try to find space for sports or
rent the space
SEATING
- working surface and seating arrangement
or squatting
STORAGE
- Adequate and safe
Figure 6.3 Checklist for a healthy learning environment
99
♦ Local government facility

♦ NGO office
♦ Commercial/organization/factory
♦ Private house
♦ Museum/cultural centre
♦ College or University
♦ Open public space
It may be necessary to adapt or modify existing buildings to suit the
requirements of a Learning Centre. The design and layout of existing buildings
may not be suitable for interactive learning processes, hands-on experience and
self-learning. Suitable conditions can be achieved however by renovating and by
rearranging furniture and fixtures inside the building. Some adaptations like
improving ventilation, improving lighting, providing entrance steps, building roof
overhangs, installing blackboards, and so on can be achieved at small cost.
Illustrative lists and designs are given in Figures 6.4 and 6.5.
D. Constructing a New Building

If it is not possible to get space in an existing facility, the Learning Centre
may be constructed by the community in accordance with a design approved by
the community. The building should be simple, clean, hygienic and low-cost,
using locally available material for construction. Whenever possible, particularly
in development situations 1 to 4 as described in Chapter Two, the community
should construct it by its own endeavour. Costs of construction materials, if not
raised from local resources, could be met by the Centre promoter. The greater
the self-help effort made by the local community the better, since this engenders
a feeling of local pride and ownership.
Here are the steps to follow in constructing a new building for a Learning
Centre:
100
Problems with existing buildings:

4
1. Closed rear wall blocks through ventilation.
5
2. Short roof overhang lets rain into classroom.
3. Short rcxaf overhang and roof orientation results in
direct sunlight entering classrooms.
4. Easel chalkboard too small for writing.
5. No lockable storage and no visual space dividers.
Features of improved buildings
1. Chalkboard/tackboard
2. Ventilation openings
3. Lockable store
4. Tack strip
5. Student desk/chair
6. Cloth space divider
7. Build-in seat
8. Anti-glare screen
9. Roof overhang
10. Entrance step
Figure 6.4 Adapting an existing building as a Learning

Centre. Example 1: A building consisting of
a long open hall classroom
101
Problems with existing buildings.

1. Open walls on east and west let sun
enter teaching areas.
2. Dark area in middle of the building.
3. Easel chalkboard too small for
writing.
4. No lockable storages and no visual
space dividers.
Features of improved buildings
1. Infill panel/chalkboard
2. Tack strips
3. Lockable storage
4. Moveable chalkboard
5. Entrance step
6. Infill panel
7. Student desk/chair
8. Cloth space divider

9. Clerestory light
Figure 6.5 Adapting an existing building as a Learning Centre

Example 2: A small open meeting hall
102
Step 1: Set-up construction committee

♦ A management committee should appoint a construction
committee, with members from the promoter group and the
community.
Step 2: Survey Resources Required
♦ The objective of such a survey is to arrive at global estimates of
work to be done and materials required for budget planning.
Step 3: Design According to Indigenous Housing
♦ Use the wisdom of a local master-builder through consultation.
♦ Come up with innovative ideas among users and educator.
♦ Ask a builder to prepare working drawings.
Step 4: Construction Committee Nominates Builder/Supplier
Step 5: Sign Contract and First Payment
Step 6: Construction in Stages
Step 7: Supervise and Monitor by Trained Personnel
♦ Preferably a trained site supervisor from a relevant government
department, an NGO or the private sector.
Step 8: Final Inspection and Payment
♦ In a big project, up to 10 percent retention money may be paid
after one year and 2 1/2 percent maximum penalty money for delay
in construction.
Step 9 : Evaluation
♦ The effectiveness of the building can only be assessed through use.
It should be capable of modification as needs and circumstances
demand.
Building materials should be available locally. Some ideas are given

below in Figure 6.6.
103
Building element Materials
1. Foundation river stone, brick, wood, bamboo, concrete, RC

2. Floors bamboo, wood, tile, stone, cement, concrete, RC
3. Walls bamboo, wood, brick, cement block
4. Partitions* bamboo mats, lath and plaster, movable screen
5. Gutter** bamboo, galvanized iron
6. Ceilings*** woven bamboo, lath and plaster
7. Roof bamboo, wood pole, timber
8. Roof cover**** thatch, wood shingles, tiles, galvanized iron, see-through plastic for light
* construct upto roof to stop noise transfer
** use if necessary to collect rain water
*** use if iron sheets are used for roof cover
**** do not use thatch if need to collect rain water
Figure 6.6 Utilizing local building materials for construction

of a Learning Centre
Cost is an important factor. Low cost, however, does not have to mean
low quality. By careful quality control, high quality can be achieved at low cost.
Conversely, high cost does not always mean high quality. If the quality of
construction is poor, the quality of the building will be poor.
At present (1994) values, it is possible to construct a suitable building for
the following cost:
104
- One story = US$ 35-100/m 2

- Two stories = US$ 120-160*/m 2
Distribution of Costs in terms of overheads, labour and material is
indicated in Figure 6.7.
A Tax
Contractor’s profits
30% and operating cost
10% B Labour
C Materials and
60% transportation cost
Figure 6.7 Distribution of costs for the construction of

a Learning Centre building
In most developing countries, the distribution of costs will be much the

same regardless of which building materials are used from those listed in Figure
6.6. In highly industrialized countries such as Japan, however, category A is
likely to rise to 60 percent and category C could fall to thirty percent.
Estimates of the cost of materials such as coment, steel and sand in each
locality should be obtained first to compare later with bills submitted by the
contractor.
Costs Can be reduced by using a variety of spaces: fully open, semi-open,
semi-covered, and fully covered. It many climates, it is pleasant to study out-of-
doors and this low-coat option should not be overlooked. This idea is illustrated
in Figure 6.8.
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Outdoor garden and

verandah as additional
Resource centre
learning space, workshop
cum meeting/
for skill training
staff room
and store
Safe storage
Roof to
collect
rain water Plaque of
(tanks to committee
store) name posted
near entrance
Shoes/slippers
Herb garden shelves near
near kitchen the entrance
area or science
corner
Figure 6.8 Utilizing a variety of space lowers the construction

costs of a Learning Centre
106
Those responsible for constructing a new building should become familiar

with certain concepts such as Quality Control (QC) and Interface.
By Quality Control is meant the application of appropriate procedures which
will ensure a good final product. For example, the master builder should
supervise the selection of building materials with certain characteristics:
sand, salt free, if not, to be washed
stone, according to sizes and specifications
wood, according to grades
bamboo, soaked in water for 3 months to last for 20 years
By interface is meant the relationship between different dimensions that
influences effective usage. For example:
♦ Between user’s height and seat height, table height
♦ Between bookshelf and different book sizes
♦ Between size of a notebook and size of desk surface
Maintenance is also an important issue. One of the learners should be
responsible for the maintenance of the Learning Centre. There should be
periodical inspections and repair - daily, monthly or yearly according to the item,
for example:
♦ Play equipment
♦ Sewing machines
♦ Learning spaces
♦ Toilets
E. Furniture and Furnishings

Furniture and furnishings should be simple, low-cost and suitable for the
client group and local conditions. Innovative use of local materials and
technology will help in making them user friendly, in keeping down the cost and
in providing for easy maintenance and replacement. Some examples and
diagrams are given below (Figures 6.9, 6.10 and 6.11).
107
Figure 6.9 Design ideas for no cost and low cost furniture and
general furnishings for Learning Centre
108
Figure 6.10 Design ideas for low cost furnishings for the reading
area, resources unit or library of a Learning Centre
109
Display cum storage of two dimensional objects: charts, posters, pictures and maps
hang ropes
pin-up
or strings
board
from a nail
wood
chalk strips
board
Book racks stretch cloth across a
of wood window, a door or
hang on a wall erd attach
on ceiling a display materials
solar chart (use sari, mat or jute mat
a kite, etc. or thick paper) back of shelves
box, divider or
cupboard covered
with thick paper
or cloth
hang window
from a ledge
string squafting
wood shelves
and bricks or blocks tables
as
Shelves
shelves
bulid
around a
column a desk
tree
trunk build
between
lockable
colums
storage
Display cum storage of three dimensional objects: science material, geomnaic shapes and objects
INDOOR LEARNING SPACF USED IN RAIN, SUMMER HEAT AND DUST
OUTDOOR LEARNING SPACE ATTACHED TO INDOOR SPACE PREFERABLY

ALWAYS FACING SOUTHERN SUN DURING COLD SEASON
OUTDOOR LEARNING AREA AWAY FROM A SCHOOL BUILDING

PREFERABLY ALWAYS FACING SOUTHERN SUN DURING COLD SEASON
Figure 6.11 Suggestions for arranging the furniture and

furnishing of a Learning Centre to make
learning maximally effective in both indoor
and outdoor settings
110
Chapter Seven
HOW TO PROMOTE LINKAGE WITH
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES,
NETWORKING WITH FORMAL EDUCATION AND
VARIOUS DEVELOPMENT AGENCIES
A. Introduction
The previous chapters have dealt with the rationale ror establishing
Learning Centres, the concept of a Learning Centre and its functions and how its
programmes may be developed, organized and managed.
A community is a very complex entity and a Learning Centre to be
established within it becomes one among many other organizations. These other
organizations also serve the community. Some functions may overlap. A
Learning Centre may supplement or complement. Some work of some other
educational organizations, such as a school. It may also be possible to use the
resources of another organization, or to assist another organization so that some
of the objectives of a Learning Centre may be more readily achieved. Hence it is
essential to be clear about possible relations which may need to be established
between a Learning Centre and other organizations serving the community.
There are also other organizations and agencies outside any particular
community which also serve that community. Generally, there are the govern-
ment ministries such as health and agriculture. There may be NGOs. There
may be private sector enterprises whose activities affect the community in
various ways. It is also necessary to be clear about relations with these.
This chapter explores such possible relations and offers suggestions as to
how these various agencies and organizations, either within or outside the com-
munity, may come to support the work of a Larning Centre.
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B. Agencies Affecting Community Development

a) Agencies within the Community
There are agencies with considerable visibility such as the following:
♦ Places of religious worship, i.e. temples, churches, mosques
♦ Formal schools, either public or private
♦ Pre-schools
♦ Community public health centres
♦ Rural development/community development centres
♦ Co-operative societies
♦ Commercial/industrial enterprises
These are visible largely on account of the physical infrastructure and
they may not all be very active in education. A rural development centre may be
grossly under-utilized or a commercial enterprise may not be aware that it can
and should play an educational role.
There could be other agencies which may not be quite so visible but may
perhaps be more active within the community. They may also differ in that they
may not be serving the whole community as such. Membership of some
organizations within a community may be limited by their intent and terms of
reference, as for example, an active political party. Thus, a community may have
active organizations and groups such as the following:
♦ Savings and credit groups whose membership may be restricted.
♦ Societies to perform specific functions, e.g. a Death Donation Society.
Societies to perform specific religious or cultural activities.
♦ Groups based on occupations such as a group of farmers, or crafts
people.
♦ Groups based on interests such as women’s groups, environmental
conservation groups, sports clubs, drama groups, or youth clubs.
♦ Social service groups.
♦ Entrepreneurs
♦ Armed service groups
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Various development agencies
The existence of such groups indicates that certain needs are being met.
These needs may not be met either wholly or adequately, but the work and
activities of such groups represent community efforts which could be
strengthened and supported. The activities of all such groups involve an
educational component or learning process and hence are relevant to the
programmes of a Learning Centre. Mutually beneficial relations may be estab-
lished between these various groups and a Learning Centre.
b) Agencies outside the Community

Development agencies outside a particular community but with potential
t o s e r v i c e i t s n e e d s m a y b e c o n s i d e r e d u n d e r t h r e e c a t e g o r i e s , n a m e l y,
government agencies, private sector agencies and non-government agencies. It is
important to identify such agencies, even if at the moment they have no direct
dealings with the community being served by the Learning Centre.
i.Government Agencies
Examples include the following:
♦ Local-level departments or offices of ministries such as Education,
Health, Housing, Agriculture, Industry and Labour.
♦ Field Extension Officers of various ministries (their offices are
sometimes in their own homes).
♦ The nearest government representative (there is generally some
official who co-ordinates all government activities in a given area).
♦ The nearest Police Post (community development activities sometimes
require (permission).
ii. Private Sector Agencies

These may be very extensive. A few examples are as follows:
♦ Private schools and educational estabilshments.
♦ Agricultural enterprises (farms, nurseries, etc.).
♦ Industrial enterprises (various factories and production units).
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♦ Commercial enterprises (outlets for community produce, suppliers of

community needs, possible supporters of Learning Centre work,
bookshops, publishers, printers).
♦ Media offices/representatives.
More useful than a comprehensive list is a selection of agencies with a
potential for future interactions. Another useful criterion for identifying these
agencies is the presence of an existing relationship with the community.For
example, members of the community may be employed in a factory or a farm or
by some commercial enterprise.
iii. Non-Government Organizations

It would be useful to make a comprehensive listing of all NGOs operating
in the area, noting their major fields of activity, even if they are not directly
active in the particular community in which the Learning Centre exists or is to
be established.
It is useful also to identify any NGOs operating at national and sub-
national levels whose activities are closely related to the work of the Learning
Centre. Some may be international NGOs.
C. Linkages with other Agencies

There are considerable advantages in establishing linkages with other
development agencies which could support the work of a Learning Centre. Some
of these advantages are discussed below.
From the design of programmes to their implementation and evaluation,
a Learning Centre will require materials and financial and human resources.
Some of the agencies identified, both within and outside the community, may be
of considerable assistance in obtaining such resources. Obtaining such assistance
from others is dependent among other factors, on the clarity of the objectives and
the adequacy of the designs of the programmes of the Learning Centre. Agencies
like to know what they are supporting. Hence an essential prerequisite to
obtaining assistance is adequate documentation regarding objectives and
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programmes. Documentation alone may not be enough. One may have to

present them verbally. Within the community, where people know each other
very well, formal documentation may not be necessary.
Types of support which could be prepared are discussed below.
a) Material Resources
i. Physical Space, Furniture and Equipment
Some of the “visible” agencies within die community could have space
which they may be able to spare. Alternatively, such spaces may be used when
not needed by the agency, such as a school. In Sydney, Australia, for example,
schools are frequently used in the evenings for the activities of Community
Learning Centres.
Some agencies may offer their premises for specific periods only and for
specific programmes, e.g. a place of religious worship may permit a literacy
programme but not a vocational programme.
It would be desirable to explore such possibilities and implement the
Learning Centre programmes within physical space already available in the
community before launching any building programme unless a separate building
is essential for the programmes being considered.
Questions such as the following may be considered.
♦ Is a separate building needed?
♦ Is the space needed full-time or only for certain specific periods on
certain days?
♦ Could some building be shared simultaneously between the Learning
Centre and some other agency?
♦ Could the Learning Centre programme be adjusted so as to utilize
space which is available?
Generally, if space in a building is made available, some minimum
amount of furniture goes along with it. Or the space may have other items of
furniture which may have to be adapted for Learning Centre activities. In the
initial stages, it may be better to adapt and utilize whatever furniture is
115
available, rather than buy or make new furniture. This is because the Learning
Centre may need some special items which may not be available at all in the
borrowed space. For example, a blackboard may not be there. A cupboard may
be necessary to store materials and documents. Adequate lighting may not be
available for work late in the evening. Hence lamps may have to be purchased or
a special electrical connection installed, or some repairs done to existing circuits.
Therefore, even when some otherwise suitable space is obtained, a Learning
Centre may have to incur some expense to make that space adequate for its
purpose. It may be noted that the general appearance of the space also matters.
Hence some cleaning and painting may be in order. Simple and low-cost
decorations, such as a bowl of flowers or a display of local artifacts, are possible.
A Learning Centre should be a pleasant place (see Chapter Five for details on
these aspects).
ii. Specialized Spaces, Furniture and Equipment

These would be required if the Learning Centre programmes include
some specialized vocational training as in carpentry, radio repair, motor
mechanics and so on. The unit costs of such training are relatively high. Before a
Learning Centre embarks on such a programme, it is essential to consider
questions such as the following:
♦ Are there Centres - organized by government, the private sector or by
NGOs - which already conduct similar vocational courses in the area?
♦ How many people are in need of such training?
♦ Is the Learning Centre alone to carry out the training or is there some
additional support required from local employers, businesses, factories
and so on?
♦ Would trainees have access to loans from various sources?
♦ Would it be more economical to negotiate with other agencies to train
those selected by the Learning Centre? (A special training pro-
gramme may be negotiated).
Specialized training may be possible in the community at relatively low
cost, in situations where the specialized spaces and equipment are available
within the community itself. This may be true in the case of agriculture and
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a n i m a l h u s b a n d r y. W h a t i s n e e d e d p e r h a p s i s t h e h u m a n r e s o u r c e . T h e
agencies identified may be contacted to see what assistance could be obtained.
Where government agencies are concerned, most likely there would be
specialist staff who could be mobilized. If such staff could be involved in the
design of the Learning Centre programmes, the possibility of obtaining
assistance would be quite high. The other agencies are likely to regard such
courses as part of their own programmes and due credit may be given to those
completing the training.
iii) Printed materials, charts, illustrations, maps

The extension services of ministries, such as agriculture and health,
frequently produce printed matter for distribution. Many NGOs also produce
such material. Commercial firms may also produce advertising materials that
may prove useful for the work of a Learning Centre. The local offices of these
agencies should be contacted to find out what is currently available.
b) Financial Resources
The total funds required over a specified period need to be estimated.A
first step is to assess the amount which may be raised locally. Some of the
organizations identified may be approached for financial support. If, in the
design of the programmes, the needs of these agencies are considered, the
possibility of obtaining support is much higher. A source which should be
explored is the charging of a fee from the beneficiaries. There should also be
consideration of the very likely possibility that what may be finally obtained,
even with assistance from outside, is only a part of the total estimated
requirement. Hence there should be a prioritization of the intended activities to
indicate in what manner adjustments could be made. Will some activities be
omitted? Will the number of participants or duration of an activity be reduced?
Will the participants be expected to bear some additional costs, like bringing
their own food? Hence, before seeking assistance from outside agencies, a
document indicating the following should be prepared:
117
♦ Itemized estimate of total funds needed.

♦ Amount to be raised within the community, either in cash or in kind.
♦ Shortfalls to be met.
With this document, agencies outside the community may be, approached
to meet the shortfall.
In approaching agencies, particularly those in the local area, personal
contact may be more effective than simply a written request. This is where skill
in presenting a programme may make a difference.If sufficient preparatory
work has been done, it would not be difficult to answer the many questions a
potential donor may raise. Usually, most potential donors will want to know
what they may expect in return for their support. It is important to have clear
answers prepared.
c) Human Resources
A Learning Centre obviously requires personnel from beginning to end.
However, the question here is how to obtain assistance from individuals other
than the immediate Learning Centre personnel.
There are some points in the development and implementation of
programmes where such assistance may be, if not essential, at least very useful.
One such point is at the design stage of a Learning Centre programme. Learning
Centre personnel may identify a need or problem and plan a possible approach to
meet the need or solve the problem. It is best to discuss this plan with-
knowledgeable people within and perhaps outside the community. In any case,
it is very desirable to discuss it with relevant groups and appropriate individuals
as this will enhance community support for the Learning Centre. The very same
agencies which are to be approached to obtain material and financial resources
may be needed to help with planning. Involvement at the design stage may be a
motivating factor in their acceding to such requests.
Another point is at the implementation stage. Special assistance may be
needed in implementing some parts of a programme. For example, in
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the preliminary work and make all the preparations an expert may be reqiured
to do the actual demonstration. The expert may come only occasionally with the
local staff doing the work in between. 1 f a programme is designed so that the
continuous presence of some expert from outside the community is needed, it
may fail. Expert assistance is needed to improve the quality of a programme, but
the use of experts from outside the community should be minimized.
Another point is at the final evaluation stage. As has been discussed in
Chapter Five, outside expertise is usually needed for the evaluation of a Centre’s
effectiveness.
D. Agencies as Partners in a Network

a) Definition and Functions of a Network
Apart from being possible sources of assistance, agencies both within and
outside the community may become a part of a network which includes the
Learning Centre. Involvement of various agencies in the design, implementation
and evaluation of the programme of the Learning Centre contributes to
establishing such a network.
Membership of a network implies that the goals and objectives of the
members have some elements in common and so the possibility of supporting
each other exists. At the very least, there can be a flow of information between
members. At another level, they could help each other in specific ways. Some
examples of such mutual assistance are as follows:
♦ Carrying out a specific training programme. For example, a teacher
education institute in the neighbourhood may train some of the
volunteers working for the Learning Centre.
♦ Jointly designing and implementing a programme.
♦ Preparing a training manual.
♦ Lending premises or equipment.
♦ Sending a team of trainers.
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b) Developing a Network
To begin with, a network may be informal. As initractions become more
frequent and more complex, a formal organizational structure may develop. If
such a formal network already exists, the Learning Centre should explore the
possibility of joining it. Reference to such networks is made later in this section.
If a new network is to be established, it is also necessary that the
Learning Centre personnel make a very genuine effort to understand what other
agencies are doing. This is best done by visiting them and seeing their work at
first hand. This will also establish the personal contacts which assist a great
deal in developing an effective network.
It is also necessary to consider the scope of any proposed network. The
nature of the work of the Learning Centre will determine what other agencies
would be appropriate to the network. While it may not be necessary to start with
a formal agreement, it is expected that all agencies of the network will have a
good understanding and appreciation of the work of the Learning Centre. This
will not just happen on its, own; it has to be deliberately sought by the Learning
Centre. Providing information about the activities of the Learning Centre and
inviting representatives of other agencies to meetings and functions, and
attending the functions of other agencies, are ways of fostering this under-
standing and appreciation.
There are difficulties in being a member of a network and these should
also be recognized. Personal relationships matter a great deal. While at a
certain level, one institution may agree to co-operate with another, at the level of
action the co-operation may be lukewarm. For example, the local education
authority may be very enthusiastic and give permission to use the facilities of the
local school. The head of the school, however, may raise all manner of difficulties,
such as furniture being broken or misplaced, or the premises needing to be
cleaned or staff having to be deployed outside their normal hours. Hence it is
very important to establish good relations with the immediate representatives of
the members of the network as well as cementing relations on a more formal
basis and at higher levels.
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It is also very desirable that the relationship with other members of the
network is not only a one-way flow of resources to the Learning Centre. The
Learning Centre should be able to provide some form of assistance to other
members of the network. For example, the work of a formal school could be
facilitated by organizing activities such as the following:
♦ undertaking some institutional work, like helping a teacher with
some of the slower students, assisting in making some visual aids,
and so on
♦ carrying out a campaign to improve attendance
♦ organizing an after-school class for slow learners
♦ allowing some students to participate in the activities of the Learning
Centre
These types of activities do not necessarily demand continuous work by
the Learning Centre. The Centre should undertake activities which could be
pursued in a relatively short time, which require inputs at reasonable intervals
or which can be integrated into its normal activities. For example, a class for
slow learners may be organized once a week under the supervision of two
volunteers from the Learning Centre so that there is both continuity and less
demand on the time of each person.
c) Co-operation between Networks

Apart from seeking other members for its own network, the Learning
Centre should survey the area to see whether there are other relevant networks.
For example, there could be a set of non-formal education centres run by the
Government or there may be a network established by a particular NGO. These
may be geographically close to the Learning Centre. There may be others which
while not being physically close are nevertheless approachable. For example,
there may be a network of higher education institutes engaged in extension work
or operating distance education programmes. Mutually beneficial relations may
be established with such networks.
The latter types of network would most likely be national in scope. It
may be easier to establish relations with such national-level networks, if the
121
The latter types of network would most likely be national in scope. It

may be easier to establish relations with such national-level networks, if the
attempt is made, not by one community, but a cluster of them. Neighbouring
communities are likely to face similar problems. The social, economic and
political contexts are likely to be much the same. While solutions to the problems
may be different, the communities getting together to consider the problems
would be beneficial. A national-level network is more likely to establish relations
with a cluster of communities than with individual ones. Quite apart from such
an advantage, a cluster of communities could help each other and share certain
very scarce resources. Another form of cooperation is in the area of training. A
Learning Centre in a particular community may develop an expertise for
conducting a particular kind of training programme and others may use its
services.
E. Learning Centre as a Co-ordinator

How may a Learning Centre act as a co-ordinator? In some communities,
various development agencies, both GOs and NGOs, may already be aware of the
functions and usefulness of Learning Centres. Very often, however, a facilitator
in charge of a Learning Centre from the non-formal education sector works alone.
This is because many agencies may not be aware of gains to be made by co-
operating with the Learning Centre and may think that it is up to the facilitator
to do all the work. Therefore, it is useful to get various agencies involved in
promoting a Learning Centre, which requires co-ordination. The following are
possible actions which might be useful for a Learning Centre in becoming a co-
ordinator:
♦ Hold an orientation meeting to introduce and ask for co-operation
from various agencies in providing support for the Learning Center.
♦ Meet with representatives from various agencies on a regular basis to
follow-up and discuss Learning Centre promotion and problems.
♦ If a group in the community needs specific training, contact the
agency concerned to help find local resource persons to train the
group, e.g. for chicken-raising, basket making and so on.
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F. Learning Centre as a Source of Information

A Learning Centre should act as a useful source of common information
about the community itself. If such information is available, if people have ready
access to it and are assisted in searching for information, the Learning Centre
becomes a valuable and active place for the community. The following types of
information could be provided:
♦ Number of households
♦ Population : males, females
by age group
♦ Literacy rate
♦ Number of children enrolled in formal schooling
♦ Yearly production of rice or other cash crops
♦ Maps of the area
♦ Occupations
♦ Community services
♦ History of the community
♦ Government agencies and their roles and functions
If such information is systematically collected, then other agencies, both
within and outside the community, will come to regard the Learning Centre as a
reliable source of information about the community. This will enhance the status
and credibility of the Centre and make it easier to form linkages and join
networks.
The Learning Centre may also display information about its own
activities through showing educational films, organizing social events or
providing entertainment. The Learning Centre may also display information
about activities of other groups or organizations. It may, for example, display
information about any television or radio broadcast relevant to community life. It
may display cuttings from newspapers or articles from magazines to draw
attention to matters of specific or general interest.
123
If action is taken on these lines, the local people will realize that the
Learning Centre is a source of useful and interesting information. They will tend
to use the Learning Centre as a meeting place and may themselves provide
further useful information.
G. Learning Centre as an Executing Agency for Others

A Learning Centre may carry out various activities within a community
on behalf of other agencies either within or outside the community. Some
examples are as follows:
The local person in charge of literacy work may need to know the number
of literate/illiterate people in the community. The Learning Centre could carry
out such a survey.
The local health officer has a scheme to immunize children. The
Learning Centre could announce the date and organize the mothers to bring the
children to the Centre.
An NGO working in the health and nutrition area may like to give a talk
to parents. The Learning Centre could organize this talk.
Carrying out activities such as these for other agencies does not require
funds as such but only time and effort. But they are of great use to the
community.
Apart from such activities of very short duration, which require mostly an
organizational effort, there are activities such as the following which may be
performed for other agencies, depending on the capacity of the Learning Centre
and the reputation it has gained:
♦ Carrying out a literacy or post-literacy programme for an NGO or
government agency working in the area
♦ Implementing a nutrition (feeding) programme for pre-school children
and monitor the growth of the children
♦ Being an agent for a distance education programme
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H. Community Leaders
In the previous sections, the emphasis has been on groups, societies, and
agencies. Usually such groups are led by highly motivated individuals.
Sometimes a society is almost totally dependent on an “individual” leader and
if that individual, for come reason, is no longer in the society or group, the society
or group disappears. The reasons for this are not being examined here. But this
aspect should be noted for the reason that the Learning Centre itself may not
“get off the ground” without at least the good will, if not the support, of accepted
communiity leaders. Each community has such leaders. Generally, the religious
dignitary is one such. The head of the formal school, if there is a school in the
community, would be another. Vested interests in the community also have to
be noted. For example, there may be a youth leader who may be at logger-heads
with other group leaders with similar or conflicting aims. These factors have to
be taken into consideration in trying to establish a Learning Centre as well as in
trying to establish positive relationships with other groups in the community.
I. Community Initiatives
A Learning Centre may be looked at from more than one perspective. One
significant perspective is the extent to which it is representative of the com-
munity in which it functions. Learning being the pervasive activity that it is,
there is a very high potential for the Learning Centre to unite the community at
least with respect to its educational efforts. If this can be achieved to some
extent at least, then a request or proposal made by the Learning Centre would
be regarded not as the request or proposal of a particular group but as a request
by the whole community. Such a perception of the Learning Centre by other
agencies, notably the agencies of the state, would greatly facilitate obtaining
resources needed. It would also make it easier to establish the kind of relation-
ships described in this chapter. The voice of a whole community is likely to be
heard.
The idea of a Learning Centre linking into and reflecting the educational
life and needs of a community is illustrated below in Figure 7.1. The figure in
fact provides a general overview of the main issues discussed in this chapter.
125
Farming Coordinator of programmes/activities

Group within the community
Housewife Retail Group

Group
NGO’s Others
Local Health
Office Others
Executes Executing Agency

its own programmes LEARNING CENTRE School
for other
NGO’s Factory
GO’s
Community
Leaders Information Centre
for the Community
and other agencies
NGO’s Others
Ministry Ministry Private

of Education of Agricuture Factories
Figure 7.1 A Learning Centre can become the focal point

for educational development in a community
126
J. Conclusion
As discussed in the ATLP-CE Volumes I to VII, continuing education is
the agent for human development. The quality of the world of the future will
depend on the quality of its human resources. Countries with strong basic
education and CE will have the capacity to cope with change and with the
increasingly complex demands of post-industrial society and the information
superhighway learning Centres are the essential focal point for community
development through life-long education. Without effective Learning Centres,
education becomes limited and closed to the traditional formal system with its
short-term agenda and restrictive modalities. Communities with a compre-
hensive network of CE learning activities are in effect learning societies. They
have the resources to develop in a way which promotes human values leading to
the emergence of a sharing and caring society, sustainable socio-economic
development, participatory democracy and respect for human dignity.
127
ANNEX
Annex
LIST OF PARTICIPANTS
Experts 1. Mr. M. Habibur Rahman

Co-ordinator
Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE)
4/6 Block-D Lalamatia
Dhaka-1207
Bangladesh
Tel. 815769; FAX [880-2]817652
2. Mr. Dong Mingchuan

Director
Adult Education Department
State Education Commission
37, Damucang Hutong
Xidan, Beijing
People’s Republic of China
Tel. 609-6654, 609-6234
FAX [860-1]602-0434
3. Mr. Liu Dezheng [Interpreter]

Programme Officer
Division of Education and
National Commission Affairs
Chinese National Commission for UNESCO
37 Damucang Hutong
Xidan, Beijing
People’s Republic of China
Tel. 609-6553, 602-2730
FAX [860-1] 601-7912
4. Mr. P.K. Tripathi

Director
Department of Education
Ministry of Human Resource Development
Shastri Rhawan
New Delhi 1 10001
India
Tel. 378-2331; FAX [91-11]391-355
131
Experts (cont’d) 5. Prof. Akihiro Chiba

Professor of Education
International Christian University
10-2 Osawa, 3-chome Mitaka-shi
181 Tokyo
Japan
Tel. [0422]-33-3193; FAX [0422]34-6982
6. Mr. Jugnu Ramaswamy

Secretary
Street Survivors India
117, Pushpanjali
Vikas Marg Extension
New Delhi 110092
India
Tel./FAX [91-11]-220-1493
7. Ms. Elissa Leif

Programme Officer
National Federation of UNESCO
Associations in Japan (NFUAJ)
12F, Asahi-Seimei Ebisn Building
1-3-1, Ebisu, Shibuya-ku
Tokyo, 150
Japan
Tel. [81-3]5424-1121; FAX [81-3] 5424-1126
8. Mr. Shinji Tajima [11-13 August 1994]

Asia/Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO (ACCU)
Japan Publishers Building
No. 6 Fukuromachi
Shinjijuku-ku
Tokyo, 162, Japan
Tel. [81-3]-3269-4435; FAX [81-3]3269-3410
9. Mr. Dil Bahadur Shrestha

Consultant, Literacy Campaign
Banepa Municipality
Kavrepalanchok District
Nepal
Tel. 473-927; FAX 977-O11-61419
10. Mr. D.A. Perera

38 Second Lane
Ratmalana
Sri Lanka
Tel. 632-852; FAX [94-1] 624-000
132
Annex
Expert (cont’d) 11. Dr. Boonlerd Masang

Senior Specialist in Curriculum Development
Non-formal Education Department
Ministry of Education
Tel. 282-0854 ext. 602, 281-6461
FAX [66-2]2801688
12. Miss Kannikar Yaemgeasorn

Non-Formal Education Department
Ministry of Education
Bangkok 10300
Thailand
Tel. 282-1895; FAX [66-2] 281-3732
Consultant 13. Dr. G. Rex Meyer

Educational Consultant
P.O. Box 154
171 Copeland Road
Beecroft NSW 2119
Australia
Tel. [61-2]484-1597; FAX [61-2]875-3638
Secretariat UNESCO Principal Regional Office

for Asia and the Pacific [PROAP]
920 Sukhumvit Raod
Tel. 391-0686, 391-0703, 391-0815
Telex: 20591 TH, FAX [66-2]391-0866
14. Mr. T.M. Sakya

Educational Adviser and Co-ordinator APPEAL
15. Ms. Hiroko Kishigami

Assistant Specialist in Educational Facilities
16. Ms. Darunee Riewpituk

Programme Assistant
17. Ms. Wallapa Aramwitha

Secretary
18. Mr. Wisit Sirithanasart

Publication Assistant
19. Ms. Pongsuda Vongsingha

Graphic Artist
133
APPEAL Training Materials
for Training of Continuing Education Personnel
(ATLP-CE)
Volume I : Continuing Education:

New Policies and Directions
Volume II : Post-Literacy Programmes (PLP)
Volume III : Equivalency Programmes (EP)
Volume IV : Quality of Life Improvement
Programmes (QLIP)
Volume V : Income-Generating Programmes (IGP)
Volume VI : Individual Interest Promotion
Programmes (IIP)
Volume VII : Future-Oriented Programmes (FOP)
Volume VIII : A Manual for the Development
of Learning Centres
These manuals have been prepared under the project

Training of Literacy and Continuing Education Personnel
(504-RAS-10 & 11) funded by the Government of Norway.

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UNESCO. Principal Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.

APPEAL training materials for continuing education personnel (ATLP-CE)

1. LITERACY PROGRAMMES - ASIA/PACIFIC. 2. UNIVERSAL

UNESCO PRINCIPAL REGIONAL OFFICE

The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout the

Asia-Pacific Programme of Education for All (APPEAL) was launched in

Chapter One : Why Learning Centres are Needed........................ 1

List of Participants ......................................................................131

Asia-Pacific Programme of Education for All [APPEAL] consists of

A. Society Under Change

B. The Educational Response

C. The Emergence of Non-formal Education

So while non-formal educational systems made a big difference by

D. The Rise of Learning Centres in Developing Countries

E. Learning Centres in Industrialized Countries

♦ to show promoters of Learning Centres how to take the first step in

The Five Exemplar Development Situations Disscussed Throughout this

The chapter touches on another important element inherent in the

and learner determines the quality of most educational encounters, the

B. Defining Learning Centres

The definition has important implications. Learning Centres play a key

EMPOWERING INDIVIDUALS AND PROMOTING COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. They

achieve this by providing opportunities for all members of society to engage in

b) Learning Centres as Contrasted with Formal Educational Institutions

Figure 2.1 Learning centres are mechanisms for community

industrialized countries they arose from community demands to extend

♦ They cater for lifelong learning.

Figure 2.2 : While formal educational institutions such

This is not of course to say, however, that formal education institutions

c) Learning Centres as Multi-purpose Institutions

cannot be said to constitute a Learning Centre. Such a situation could, however,

d) Learning Centres within Other Institututions

C. Determining the Purposes and Scope of a Particular

b) Influence of Promoter - Beneficiary Relationships

Development Situation Example of Social Context Possible Initial Response by the

2. Underprivileged Underprivileged women in a poor rural Focus on increasing access to

Figure 2.3 A Learning Centre intially responds to specific

A. GO/NGO taking the more active role in planning or establishing a Centre.

Figure 2.4 Types of relationships which may exist between a

D. Learning Centres in Action

Situation 1 Centre serving an isolated hill tribe at a minimum

Situation 2 Centre established by an NGO involved in a national

Situation 3 Because of low prices, a rural village community of rice

Situation 4 A Centre providing infrastructure development in a rural

Residents of a small rural community on the edge of a large newly

Situation 5 A group of retired people in the suburbs of a large

A. Purpose of a Learning Centre

Educational activities Increasing opportunties

Meeting individual needs Promoting meaningful

Figure 3.1 The functions of a Learning Centre are multipurpose

B. Functions of Learning Centres

- GENERAL FUNCTIONS OF LEARNING - DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS IN

Figure 3.2: The functions of Learning Centres are expressed

Unlike schools and other formal education institutions, each Learning

♦ The present and changing socio-economic and cultural situation of the

a) Education and Training

Learning venues must also be appropriate for the particular situation

i) Provision of Education and Training Courses and Activities for the

ii) Training of NFE and CE Personnel

Another important aspect of the training role of Learning Centres would

b) Community Information and Dissemination of Resources

i) Provision of Community Information and Resource Services

A developing rural community may wish to stress health, nutrition and