Illiteracy decline, 68 million remain in the Arab states

Sources at the Arab League have asserted that documents of the Arab conference on "education for all" which was held in Cairo on January 24 through 27 said that illiteracy rates in the Arab states decreased by the beginning of 2000 by 10% from the year 1999.

These sources added that the documents indicated that the Arab states which improved beyond the phase of danger (regarding the number of illiterates) are the smaller states, while more populated Arab states still have high illiteracy rates.

The documents said that the illiteracy average among adults (adults above 15) year is 43% in Sudan, 55% in Morocco, Mauritania 54%, Yemen 56%, Djibouti 43%, while illiteracy rate in Egypt is 34%, 32% in Tunisia, 37% in Algeria and 32% in Oman.

These positive results in the decrease of illiteracy rates in Egypt, for example, from 49.6% during 1986 to 38.6 % in 1996, to 34% in 1999 are due to strong and effective strategies of increasing the numbers of classes and teachers (see references) with increased expenditures and greater public awareness by the efforts of the like of Egypt's First Lady Suzanne Mubarak in promoting education and related issues.

The sources said the documents of the conference stressed that the number of Arab illiterates is currently 68 million, which is a "dangerous number" at a time when the progress of nations is measured by their human capitals.

The sources added that the worst part of the data is that the gap in education between the two sexes is wider in the Arab states in comparison with all other world countries.