Arab Literacy Day (January 8, 2017)

 Arab Literacy Day (January 8, 2017)

On January 8th of each year, the Arab World celebrates the Arab Literacy Day proclaimed by the League of Arab States in 1970 to be an annual occasion to review what has been achieved in terms of literacy at the national and regional levels, and to take cognizance of the plans and future directions to promote literacy and adult education as important ingredients of sustainable development.

It is to be recalled that Arab States still suffer a high illiteracy rate in comparison with the countries of the developing world. Statistics indicate that the illiteracy rate in Arab countries stands at 27.1 %, compared to 16 % in the rest of the world. According to the Arab Observatory for Education launched by ALECSO, the number of illiterates in the Arab World in 2015 is nearly 54 million people, a number that is likely to increase in view of the educational situation in Arab States that are experiencing crises and armed conflicts, leaving nearly 13.5 million children with no access to formal education.