Literacy campaigns in Mozambique: Why did they fail?

Abstract

Abstract This paper examines literacy campaigns in Mozambique (1978-1982) after the country's independence in 1975, looking at their strengths and the weaknesses. It shows that the literacy campaigns failed mainly because of factors such as the language used as the medium of instruction, the language policy of the country, the absence of clear a definition of objectives and functions, and a lack of community involvement. The paper suggests a practical and useful solution that could have helped to prevent the failures.