• Primary Illiterates

Primary illiteracy refers to individuals who have never learned to read and write or have attended school for only a few years and therefore have not acquired reading and writing skills.

• Functional Illiterates

Functional illiteracy pertains to people who have some reading and writing skills but are unable to meet societal conditions for effective literacy. In the context of migration, this means that the written language skills from their country of origin are insufficient in the new cultural environment.

Migrants can attend the literacy course due to insufficient or lacking literacy skills.

Placement Procedure
The necessity of attending a literacy course is determined through the placement procedure for integration courses.

Weekly Hours
Maximum weekly hours: 25 teaching units (UE)
As in all integration courses, the literacy courses are divided into several successive course sections, each comprising 100 teaching units. The literacy courses include:

• Basic Alpha Course: 300 UE
• Intermediate Alpha Course A: 300 UE
• Intermediate Alpha Course B: 300 UE

The course can be continued as an:

• Intermediate Alpha Course (Repeat Course): with an additional 300 UE
• After typically 1200 UE, the course continues with the:
• Orientation Course: 100 UE

For practical reasons, this concept favors the joint literacy of all participating groups (primary and functional illiterates).

Number of Participants
Based on previous experiences with migrant literacy work and mother-tongue literacy for German functional illiterates, a number of 16 participants is considered optimal. Participants in an integration course with literacy differ in their literacy skills, language knowledge, and life situations. There is a correlation between learning history and literacy skills. A person who attended school differs from someone with no schooling experience. Participants' language skills vary, and grammar knowledge is usually minimal.

Eligibility for Participation
On one end of the spectrum are participants who have not attended school, have no "pen" experiences in their lives, and have no German language skills and very little language awareness in their own native language.

Final Test
After completing the designated teaching units (UE), participants take a final test. The language level A2 to B1 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) should be successfully achieved with the scaled language test "German Test for Immigrants". Additionally, the orientation course includes a nationwide test on "Politics in Democracy", "History and Responsibility", and "Human and Society".