Conversely, alienated youth are a recipe for social unrest. Well-targeted projects can bring them into the mainstream, but, if yet another generation is not to be sacrificed, swift action on a massive scale is needed. The gaps in educational access between males and females, literates and illiterates and urban and rural dwellers in Latin America and the Caribbean have considerably narrowed in the last decade. Adult literacy has reached 88 percent, but great disparities lie behind the global figure. Decentralization has played a crucial role in improving education access to ethnic minorities.
Some countries make intensive use of mass media, such as television or radio, as a training tool.
These programmes also target isolated areas and indigenous groups. Overall improvements in learning achievement in the Caribbean are good, with the exception of Haiti. In the Caribbean as a whole, girls' enrolment exceeds that of boys, and girl pupils are outperforming boys. Women's Literacy rate is an estimated 85 percent and three-quarters of primary school teachers are female. Taken with girls' high achievement, this sends a clear message about mothers and teachers as positive role models.