Toward a literate world

This volume documents the genesis and early international expansion of the modern world literacy movement championed by American missionary and educator Frank C. Laubach. The work originated in the 1930s among the Maranao people of Lanao Province, Mindanao, in the Philippines, where Laubach developed an influential, rapid method for teaching adults to read in their own vernacular language. The campaigns, which promoted a philosophy of voluntary teaching and mutual aid, soon spread across the Philippines and into major areas of Asia and Africa, including India and Kenya. The book serves as a primary source detailing the global scope of illiteracy in the pre-World War II era, proposing innovative techniques for adult education, and underscoring the necessity of providing follow-up literature to sustain reading habits in newly literate populations. The author views literacy as an essential component for social and economic improvement and character development. The document’s connection to a Philippine institution reflects its local cultural and historical significance to the nation's educational and missionary history.

The book is considered valuable. It is advised that researchers use digital copy rather than physical books for preservation purposes. APA Citation: Laubach, F. C. (1938). Toward a literate world. Columbia University Press.