In the Republic of Mall, one of the determining factors that have contributed to the need to study alternative solutions to the long-term development of education has been the recognition that positive results have been achieved by functional literacy. In fact, functional literacy seems to offer the only alternative to the classical school system, which, it is generally acknowledged, is in need of transformation. Functional literacy as a form of education strives to use approaches that take into account the interests of all those who do not benefit from the Mall school system. It fulfils this function by means of its postliteracy component, which is its backbone. The Republic of Mall, situated in the Sahel zone of East Africa with no outlet to the sea, is an agro-pastoral continental country. Women, who constitute the majority of the population, are involved in all socio-economic activities of the country, both in urban and in rural areas and at all levels; 95 per cent are illiterate and confined to traditional and routine work. The distribution of the population by age levels shows a ratio of 65 to 7 ~ per cent young people.