Rabat - Morocco has 10 million illiterate people, a third of the kingdom's entire population, according to the National Agency for the fight against illiteracy (ANLCA).
Rabat – Morocco has 10 million illiterate people, a third of the kingdom’s entire population, according to the National Agency for the fight against illiteracy (ANLCA).
Morocco’s illiteracy rate is still one of the highest in the Arab world. The shocking figure comes as the kingdom celebrates UNESCO’s International Literacy Day on 8 September, with this year’s theme being “literacy and sustainable societies”.
The Illiteracy Day was first celebrated in 1966 as a measure to highlight the importance of literacy for all sectors of society.
“This alarming figure requires intensified efforts (…) so that Morocco could achieve the goal of eradicating illiteracy by 2024,” said ANCLA on Monday in a statement carried by Maghreb Arab Press news agency (MAP).
Morocco’s illiteracy rate among the Moroccan population aged 10 and more stood at 28%, while 38% of the population aged 15 and more have insufficient skills, according to ANCLA, citing a study conducted in 2012.
According to the study conducted by the High Commission for Planning (HCP), despite the various programs implemented in recent years in Morocco, more than half of Moroccan women aged 15 and more can’t write their own names or read a line from a book.
Earlier this year, the Moroccan government has announced that huge efforts are being made to improve the level of education in Morocco.
© Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed without permission
