Basic learning needs of young people and adults in Latin America

The author provides a summary of important lessons learned from adult educational activities and research in Latin America. Basic learning skills are defined as the skills needed in order to provide for ones basic needs, in turn based on the current understanding of human rights, and while literacy training is often regarded as the primary developmental tool in this respect, illiteracy is only one symptom of inequality and poverty. Schmelkes makes values the central element in her notion of competence.