A session in progress at the Literacy Challenge Forum on Monday.

Imran Mojib, Special Correspondent

Despite the humanitarian crises in many parts of the Arab world, there have been some reassuring statistics on literacy in the region, said the UN Resident Coordinator for the UAE Dena Assaf.

“School enrolment and literacy rates have actually increased; the adult literacy rate rose to 75.3% up from 65% in 2000, while youth literacy rates grew to 86.8% from 81.8%. Nevertheless, the region continues to lag behind global averages,” she said.

She made the observation at the opening ceremony of the first Literacy Challenge Forum, organised by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF), in collaboration with the UNDP and Unesco, in Dubai on Monday.

She pointed out that the situation is more complicated in countries that have endured conflict.

“There are 28.5 million out-of-school children in the world and half of them live in conflict-plagued countries. Of these, four million live in the Arab region, and girls make up 55% of the total. In fact, women make up 63% of the global illiterate population. Educated women have a better chance of escaping poverty and ensuring a better standard of life for their children,” she added.

Dr Hegazi Idris, Regional Programme Specialist in Basic and Adult Education at Unesco, said that there are more than 750 million adults who can neither read nor write, which is unacceptable, unjustifiable, and unethical.

He pointed out that in the Arab region, estimates from five years ago put the number of illiterates at a staggering 50 million.

Dr Idris stressed that the region faces a serious issue in identifying the concept of literacy. “It is not limited to reading and writing, but goes beyond that to include the ability to communicate with people and learn modern concepts. Primary education needs to be enhanced. It is not enough to get students in classrooms, the material they learn must also be upgraded.”

Dr Idris suggested to create literacy programmes that are based on real data, identifying who and where are these illiterate individuals.

Khaled Abdel Shafi, Director of the Regional Hub for Arab States at the UNDP, said that literacy is a right of every individual, it is part of the right to education. Yet there are nearly 750 million individuals — youth and adults — who cannot read or write, in addition to 250 million children who are unable to acquire basic reading and writing skills.

“Literacy is an important objective for the UN and the 2030 Agenda, particularly SDG 4, which calls for ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all,” he said.

Arne Carlsen, Professor at the University of Latvia, said it is necessary to transform the education sector to encompass lifelong learning systems so that they could teach 21st-century skills beyond literacy. This, he said, would equip school leavers, graduates and employees with the capabilities to both overcome challenges and seize opportunities being presented by the fourth Industrial Revolution.

Earlier, welcoming the delegates, MBRF CEO Jamal Bin Huwaireb said that illiteracy is a major issue in the Arab region; it is a key obstacle in the way of Arab countries’ quest for sustainable development and ensuring the wellbeing of their people.

“It is a problem that has been considerably exacerbated by the tensions plaguing this region. Statistics point to the deep-seated nature of this issue in certain Arab countries, where it has grown into a major challenge that requires drastic measures and collaboration among all countries,” he said.

The Forum also discussed the necessity of lifelong learning. The topics of discussion ranged from showcasing continuous learning models from the Arab world, and modern methods for evaluating adult education programmes, to the UAE’s success story in eradicating illiteracy, and education during emergencies and asylum situations.

The forum will continue on Tuesday where experts in literacy from all around the world will further exchange experiences and expertise, strengthen collaboration, and come up with effective solutions to combat illiteracy in the Arab world.