Aleppo, Sept. 9 (SANA) Aleppo aims to cut its illiteracy rate to single digits from about 25% within three years, with the rate reaching as high as 50% in some remote areas and camps, a local education official said.
Khalifa Hout, head of Aleppo’s Department of Cultural Development and Adult Education, said a three-year strategy had been drawn up to bring the rate down to single digits as a step towards ultimately eliminating illiteracy.
The plan was presented at a World Literacy Day event organized by the department in cooperation with Aleppo Governorate and the Ministry of Culture at the National Library on Tuesday.
The event examined challenges facing literacy efforts and highlighted the experiences of women who had learned to read and write through educational courses.
Mulham al-Oqaidi, a member of the Executive Office of Aleppo Governorate, told SANA that years of war and displacement, along with economic and social conditions left behind by the former regime, had contributed to worsening illiteracy in Syria.
Participants discussed ways to coordinate efforts among government institutions, civil society organizations and the legislative authority to help people who cannot read or write and enable them to become active members of society, Okeidi said.
Ali Haj Hamoud, deputy director of Culture in Aleppo, said the event brought together government officials and representatives of associations, organizations and volunteer teams and reviewed the department’s achievements and future plans.
The event concluded with a ceremony honoring three women who had achieved success after enrolling in educational courses, Hamoud said.
Authorities in Aleppo, in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and civil society organizations, are working to reactivate adult education centers and develop cultural and educational programs to address the effects of years of conflict and school dropout.
The event was held in conjunction with International Literacy Day, observed annually on September 8.
N.J/MF
