The speed at which transformations have occurred in levels of knowledge--especially scientific and technical knowledge--obliges countries in the Latin American and Caribbean region to undergo a rapid process of modernization. An educational project of UNESCO was established with this goal in mind. This bulletin presents three articles concerning the project: (1) "The Major Project in the Field of Education in Central America; Advances, Limitations and Priorities for Action in the Future"; (2) "System of Statistical Information to Support the Planning, Operation, Monitoring and Evaluation of Ecuador's Literacy Programme"; and (3) "The Creation of Alphabets: An Interdisciplinary Task." The first article summarizes exploratory studies on the possibilities for achieving the project's objectives for literacy programs. The second article reviews the progress made in Ecuador in the field of statistical information in formal and basic education. The project recognizes the importance of the statistics for planning and evaluation of the programs in the region. The third article emphasizes the inclusion of vernacular languages in the teaching-learning process to meet the socio-cultural and linguistic realities of the different population groups. It is recommended that all factors--linguistic, socio-linguistic, educational--be taken into consideration in developing a unified alphabet. The last section of the bulletin gives a summary of activities of the networks of cooperation, which constitute an action instrument for achieving the project's objectives. A bibliography is included. (SM)