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Deciding on the scope of a literacy program

 
by Stephen L. Walter
 

Introduction
 

The scope of a literacy program consists of

 
  • the size in terms of numbers of participants
  • the geographical areas and populations to include, and
  • the curricular content of the program (that is, what the program will cover in terms of basic literacy, fluency, second language acquisition and literacy, numeracy, topics in functional literacy, continuing adult education, or other educational content).
 

In planning a literacy program, one must try to anticipate the scope of the proposed program to make reasonable estimates of needed resources.

 

Any decisions made about program scope will be reflected in the objectives of the program once these have been articulated. Conversely, in most cases, the primary constraint on program scope will be that of cost in terms of both financial and technical resources to support program activity.

Discussion
 

Some issues of program scope can be addressed early in the program planning process.

 
Examples:
  • You can make a preliminary and arbitrary statement of scope in the form of an objective that the project will bring to literacy 75 percent of all adults in the Dwaba region.
  • Similarly, you can make another statement of program scope in the form of an objective that the program curriculum will include basic literacy, fluency, numeracy, and a basic transition to the language of wider communication.
 

Other issues of program scope can be rather illusive and difficult to plan in the early stages.

 
Example:

Literacy programs, especially successful ones, typically evolve and grow as time passes.

  • People want to be included who were not originally a part of the program design.
  • Other people are unhappy with the program and want to drop out.
  • New agencies enter the picture and bring new proposals for program components.
  • Shifts in regional or national policy bring pressure to bear to modify or extend the program in some way
  • Participants want new content added to the program to meet felt needs.
Influencing factors
 

Here are some factors that will impact program scope:

 
  • The expectations of those who will be participating in the program
  • Any contractual commitments you have to deliver a program of a specified sort to a specified audience
  • The level of motivation of participants
  • The results of the program after it starts
  • Available resources to support program activity
  • Physical issues of distance, access, and available transport
  • The identity and objectives of participating agencies
  • The existence of local conflict of some sort which might inhibit access or participation
Guidelines for considering scope for planning
 

While scope is not easy to determine and may change with time, you cannot allow this uncertainty to block you from planning.

 

In the world of literacy, most problems have solutions. The question, however, is whether the cost of the solution is manageable.

 
Issues of scope when planning your program
 

  • Setting the initial program scope may be a matter of

    • making appropriate arbitrary decisions
    • reaching a negotiated decision with many interested parties, and
    • accepting some mandated statement of program objectives
  • It is a good idea to approach most programs by starting small. Even if there is a contractual commitment to do the program, seek to start small. In this way, you can test materials, strategies, and program methodologies before scaling up.
  • Any but the most rudimentary literacy program will probably require at least some external resources to function effectively.
 
Issues of scope after a program has started
 

  • The larger a program gets, the more time and effort is needed to do training and institution building.

  • In most developing country situations, any good literacy program is going to lead to development activities.
  • If educational systems are seriously deficient in the target area, there is a good chance that a successful program will be asked to move into the area of MT education.
  • In literacy as in many other endeavors, success breeds success. If a proposed program turns out to be very successful, it will tend to grow exponentially.
Things to do
  Here are some things to do when you establish the scope of your program plan:
 
  • Consult with your “ customers ” to get their perspective on the matter of program scope.
  • Consult with partnering agencies to get their perspective and find out what commitments they are prepared to make.
  • Consult the officials in your organization to see what guidelines and advice they have on the subject of project scope.
  • Consult with your resource providers to determine what guidelines they would apply to the matter of program scope.
  • Take realistic stock of the time requirements of a program of a given scope and determine whether there is sufficient manpower to carry out the program.
  • Use the information you have gathered to make a decision about program scope.
See also
 

Context for this page:

Go to SIL home page This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 4.0, published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 1999. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 2 July 1998

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