Rabat – More than four million Moroccans have benefitted from the literacy program in mosques between 2000 and 2022, said Ahmed Taoufiq, Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs.
Speaking during a plenary session of Morocco’s House of Councilors on Tuesday, Taoufiq highlighted that 70% of the beneficiaries are women, noting that the program has also reached over 1.7 million individuals in rural areas (41%).
In 2001, the Moroccan government implemented a national strategy aiming to fight against illiteracy. The strategy introduced classes in many mosques throughout the country.
In the 2021-2022 academic year alone, the minister said that 136,621 people were enrolled in the literacy program, representing 45.96% of the total enrolments.
The courses were led by 3,709 supervisors in 3,538 mosques, 494 of which have been opened under the “1,000 reading zones” program launched by the ministry to contribute to the creation of illiteracy-free zones.
The budget allocated to this program for 2022 is estimated at MAD 180 million ($17 million), including MAD 81.7 million ($8 million) for the courses offered in rural areas, Taoufiq stressed, expressing the ministry’s readiness to expand courses in such areas “if the necessary financial funds are available.”
Launched 20 years ago, the literacy program in mosques “is one of the most successful programs,” the minister said, pledging to further raise awareness of the importance of learning with the aim of attracting new beneficiaries across Morocco.
Following the closing off of mosques due to the COVID-19 crisis in 2020, literacy tutors remained in contact with their students through smartphone applications and continued to supervise their learning.
Literacy classes also became available on the Assadissa (the Sixth) television channel and on the internet.
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