Jordan receives global award for strides towards nationwide literacy

AMMAN — The World Literacy Foundation (WLF) on Saturday presented Jordan with an award honouring its “significant” national contribution to literacy at the conclusion of the World Literacy Summit 2020, held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Education Minister Tayseer Nuaimi received the award on behalf of the Kingdom during Saturday’s awards ceremony.

According to a statement from the foundation made available to The Jordan Times, the Kingdom has implemented several initiatives to eradicate illiteracy and provide educational resources for all citizens. In particular, the Jordanian Ministry of Education has set out legislation to guarantee the provision of education for all.

For years, the Kingdom has “striven for educational success”, now reaching nearly universal primary enrollment, gender parity in Jordanian schools and a 95 per cent adult literacy rate, the statement said.

Today, 770 million people worldwide cannot read a single word, while another 2 billion people struggle to read a full sentence, the statement said, adding that in Jordan alone, approximately 40 per cent of the population are school-aged children and these numbers “are likely to impede the educational infrastructure”. Literacy initiatives led by the Ministry of Education are pivotal to ensure future educational success for the Kingdom, read the statement.

Illiteracy is a global crisis, according to the statement, and the WLF aims to educate people on the benefit of acquiring even basic literacy skills. The cycle begins with a child struggling to read, progressing into an adult who struggles with literacy and as a result falls victim to issues tied to unemployment, welfare, crime and wellbeing, the statement said.

“We face a global literacy crisis, with 91 per cent of children in the world not attending school right now,” World Literacy Foundation CEO Andrew Kay said in the statement

This award aims to acknowledge the “valuable contribution” of the Ministry of Education to eradicate illiteracy in Jordan, Kay added.

“Literacy at large, and reading fluency, in specific, we believe unlocks learning across the entire curricula, and illiteracy affects both personal and national prosperity,” Minister of Education Tayseer Nueimi  was quoted in the statement as saying.

Attending the event through a teleconference hosted by the Oxford University, Nueimi said that Jordan has made “tangible” progress in enhancing literacy, reaching 99 per cent in ages 15 to 24 since 2000, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

These numbers have been driven by initiatives implemented by the ministry in cooperation with its partners in the field of universal elementary education since the 1990 global Jomtien Declaration on education for all, the minister said, noting that the 10-year elementary education period is compulsory and free.

The minister highlighted that this achievement was a result of the Kingdom's “political will”, which has supported the education sector, pointing to the support of their Majesties King Abdullah and Queen Rania as well as donors and local communities, Petra said.

Nueimi also pointed to several efforts by the ministry that cover drop-out students in literacy programmes, in addition to programmes on reading and numeracy skills.

According to the statement, the online World Literacy Summit is bringing together leaders from 85 countries representing over two-thirds of the world’s population, and all with a single focus — advocating, championing and educating on the vital importance of improving literacy levels across the globe.

The WLF strives to ensure that every young individual, regardless of geographic location, has the opportunity to acquire literacy and reading skills to reach their full potential, succeeding at school and beyond. The WLF works to provide free access to quality education materials and innovative solutions that target wide-scale illiteracy, the statement concluded.