Illiteracy in the Arab states demands serious effort to eradicate
Regional, Education, 3/24/2000

Illiteracy is still a problem from which the Arab states suffer despite the great progress attained in perpetuating the law on compulsory education and ensuring the human and material resources necessary for the task of eradicating illiteracy. Yet, the number of illiterates in the Arab states is still large in an age when peoples are seeking to qualify themselves to acquire the innovations of the modern age.

At the regional Arab conference on education for all for this year which was held in Cairo under the title eradicating illiteracy in the Arab world, the following was stated: In 1990 the number of illiterates in the Arab states was 61 million, representing 48.7% of the population at the age of 15 and above.

Ten years later (in 2000) and according to the declaration advocated under the title "Education for all" a UN conference which was held in Jomtien, Thailand in 1990, in which the Arab states took part, tremendous efforts were made in order to ensure education for children and for adults, alike.

Plans were drawn up and implemented, campaigns for the eradication of illiteracy were launched, and all these efforts resulted in reducing the rates of illiteracy to 38.7% in 2000, representing a decrease in the percentage of illiterates by 10% in comparison of the figures of 1990. Besides the rate of illiteracy has become less than 15% of the total number of the population at the age of 15 and above, especially in Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Palestine, Kuwait, Lebanon and Libya.

However, the current rate of illiteracy of 38.7% in the Arab states is still high, which means that there are still 68 million Arab illiterates-- a large and dangerous number in a phase of human history in which competition and supremacy among nation are measures on the criteria of their "Human capital." And the most dangerous aspect here is that the gap between males and females is the largest in the Arab states as a whole in comparison with other regions of the world, including the group of the African states, to the south of the African Sahara, the poorest, economically speaking, in comparison with the Arab states.

As smaller Arab states have surpassed the critical phase in fighting illiteracy, yet most populated Arab states are still suffer the consequences of illiteracy as the situation in Sudan where illiteracy rate is 42%, 55% in Morocco; Mauritania 54%; Yemen 56% and Djibouti 42%.

However, illiteracy rates is till high in Tunisia 32%; Egypt 34%, and Algeria 37%.

In all the illiteracy average which was supposed to be reduced in the year 2000 to half of its rate in 1990, according to the work structure adopted in Jomtien, taking the Arab states as one unit, is still well under the set target.

However the question of illiteracy is varied from one Arab state to another. There are, for instance, Arab states which have almost eliminated their problem with illiteracy and the gap between the two sexes in this regard. And this is the situation in Jordan, UAE, Palestine, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon and then come Libya, Saudi Arabia and Syria.

However, there are other Arab states where illiteracy is the first challenge as the case with Sudan, Morocco, Mauritania and Yemen and then come Tunisia, Algeria, Djibouti, Iraq, Oman and Egypt.

Such differences in conditions change the list of priorities between one group and another. And this is also applicable to early childhood education and Kuwait and Lebanon are the best in this regard.

Each Arab country is called on to fine its priorities, according to its own problem.

However, the participants at the Cairo conference recommended setting up an Arab network for education and training and having the Egyptian national network as its own base and nucleus.

This Arab networking is to be run in collaboration with the participating Arab states, as well as to work for establishing a regional Arab center for researches and future studies in order to develop the process of education for all.

The participants also recommended the establishment of the following centers: the regional center to develop educational curricula and studies, whose nucleus is the national center for the curricula and education researches in (Bakht al-Rida) in Sudan; the regional center to formulate the cadres for eradicating illiteracy and education for adults, with its premises at the national divan for eradicating illiteracy and teaching adults in Algeria; the Arab center for early childhood and the Arab center for educational assessment.

Previous Stories:
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