Abstract:

This research explores the Freirean approach to emancipate the socio-economically marginalized adults in rural Pakistan. The oppressed adults have been domesticated mentally and socially for hundreds of years, mainly because of the country’s omnipotent political influence. Thus adults are not aware of the importance of education and work, and are totally taken by the fatalistic approach.

Freirean pedagogy for adult speed literacy is primarily designed to literate the underprivileged adults of the society. The pedagogy involves three stages based on dialogical process, with a facilitator to direction group discussions.

This research explores the impact of using the Freirean framework for emancipating the socio-economically adults. The “adult speed literacy” pedagogy is further modified to help enable the uneducated and underprivileged to address issues of lack of life skills, poverty, illiteracy and political voice that besets them [1]. Liberated adults will gain tradable skills for money and livelihood, helping them to prove themselves as resourceful entities towards country’s development, as well as make them an active participant in the planning process for the future.

Freirean speed literacy pedagogy is enhanced into a framework to facilitate the poor in breaking free from negative self-concept, poverty and culture of silence. The methodology [2] is a human facilitating the oppressed adults, indulging the groups in a dialogical process to help them reflect on their current situation; this process empowers them intrinsically by igniting their critical consciousness and unshackles them from fatalism [3]. This research shows how this framework can be used to emancipate these adults submerged in oppressions, assisted with visual technological aid [4].

References:
[1] Ojokheta, K. O. 2007. Paulo Freire’s Literacy Teaching Methodology. DVV International
[2] Freire, Paulo. 1969. Pedagogy of the Oppressed.
[3] Cruz, Mairenis, and Professor Gleason. 2010. "Paulo Freire's Theory of Adult Literacy Education." Adult Language and Literacy . http://mightysllblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/paulo-freires-theory-of-adult-literacy.html, May 11.
[4] Janes, Diane. 2010. Incorporating Constructivist Elements into an Adult Literacy Classroom. Project Report, Vancouver: Constructivist Strategies for E-Learning - ETEC 530

Keywords:

Adult speed literacy, Paulo Freire, Emancipation, Socio-economically marginalized, rural pakistan.