By WAM
Abu Dhabi : UAE has pledged to eradicate alphabetical illiteracy in seven years, thus becoming the first Arab country to attain cent per cent literacy rate.
The country hopes to bid farewell to illiteracy forever by 2015, or even before, reported ‘Al Ittihad’ Arabic daily quoting officials at the Ministry of Education.
A recent survey showed that the illiteracy rate is on the decline in the UAE, where as it came down from 22pc in 2000 to 9pc in 2005.
Across an area stretching from the Mediterranean to Arabian Gulf, there are over 100 million Arabs who are not able to read and write, according to a statistical report prepared by Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO).
UAE plans to be the first among the Arab countries to achieve cent percentage literacy rate within a few years.
Currently there are thousands of nationals pursuing formal learning at 86 adult education centres spread across the country. Many of them are above 50 years of age. A large number of graduates from these evening schools have enrolled for higher education at various universities.