Available data suggest that the overall education rate in Iraq is nearly 80%, with an illiteracy rate ranging between 18-20%. The illiteracy rate for women is estimated at 26.4%, compared to 11.6% for men.
But according to the [UNESCO] statement, “Rural communities are more affected by illiteracy than urban communities, despite the fact that the proportion of illiterate women in both societies surpasses that of illiterate men.”
Local and international reports confirm that the rate of illiteracy in Iraq is on the rise and that there are around 8 million illiterate individuals between the ages of 15 and 40 years.
After the Council of Representatives passed the anti-illiteracy law and formed a public body, 17 ministries are preparing to implement the national strategy prepared by the Iraqi government.
Ali Dujaili, a civil activist in Iraq, said in a statement to Al-Monitor, “The government has to develop a plan limited by a time frame in order for the strategy to be scientific and feasible, and it has to invest the energies of civil non-governmental organizations.”
This is not the first time governments in Iraq have developed plans to combat illiteracy, but they have not typically produced good results. Dujaili believes that the reason is “the lack of coordination between Iraqi government institutions on the issue of illiteracy in the country.”
Ali Abel Sadah is a Baghdad-based writer for both Iraqi and Arab media. He has been a managing editor for local newspapers as well as a political and cultural reporter for more than 10 years.
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