Jordan marks Arab Day for Eradication of Illiteracy

AMMAN — As Jordan today marks the Arab Day for the Eradication of Illiteracy, celebrated annually on January 8, statistics show women continue to face higher rates of illiteracy than men.

Long-term plans implemented by the Education Ministry, in cooperation with other national institutions, have contributed to reducing the illiteracy rate in Jordan from 88 per cent in 1952, to 6.4 per cent in 2015 — 3.4 per cent among males and 9.5 per cent among females, the ministry said.

The ministry, in a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, said that the occasion highlights the Kingdom’s awareness of the dangers of illiteracy and the importance of overcoming it, in order to develop individuals’ living standards and increase their incomes.

Foreseeing the potential dangers of illiteracy, the Education Ministry said it has opened nationwide centres for eradicating illiteracy, which continue to provide education to citizens who may have missed out on an adequate education while at school.

The ministry provides all necessary equipment for learners free of charge.

In 2016 alone, the ministry said it opened some 340 centres which were attended by 3,499 illiterate people.

It has also inaugurated around 120 centres to implement a programme of assistance for those who did not continue in education, attended by 1,680 people.

The ministry is currently implementing a programme focusing on cognitive education for children between the ages of 9 and 12 who did not attend school.

The programme also aims to meet goals set in the 2015-2024 Arab compact on teaching the elderly and eradicating illiteracy, Petra added.