'Illiteracy rate in Jordan stood at 5.2 per cent in 2017'

AMMAN — Illiteracy rate in Jordan stood at 5.2 per cent in 2017, Education Minister Azmi Mahafzah said on Saturday.

Jordan on Saturday celebrated International Literacy Day, which falls annually on September 8.

On the occasion, Mahafzah said that the illiteracy rate in Jordan stood at 5.2 per cent at the end of 2017, citing official figures from the Department of Statistics, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Mahafzah noted that the ministry opened 139 centres for the eradication of illiteracy in 2017, of which 119 were for females and 20 for males. He added that these centres attracted 1,517 females and 306 males.  

He said that the ministry, in cooperation with UNICEF, implements a cognitive programme for the children aged 9 to 12 who did not have the opportunity to join regular education, noting that the programme was launched in 2017 through 110 centres and attracted 3,538 students. 

This year’s International Literacy Day is celebrated under the theme: “Literacy and skills development”.

Despite progress made, literacy challenges persist, and at the same time the demands for skills required for work, evolve rapidly, the UN said.

This year's theme explores integrated approaches that simultaneously support the development of literacy and skills, to ultimately improve people’s lives and work tocontribute to equitable and sustainable societies, according to the UN. 

The day focuses on skills and competencies required for employment, careers, and livelihoods, particularly technical and vocational skills, along with transferable skills and digital skills, the website added. 

The 8th of September was proclaimed International Literacy Day by UNESCO at the 14th session of UNESCO’s General Conference on October 26, 1966 to remind the international community of the importance of literacy for individuals, communities and societies, and the need for intensified efforts towards more literate societies.

The idea of an International Literacy Day was born at the World Conference of Ministers of Education on the Eradication of Illiteracy, held in Teheran, Iran, on September 8-19 1965, according to the UN.