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- West Bank/Gaza, 06/05: Kafa Kids Get a New School
[pdf, English
/ Arabic]
- Egypt, 05/05: First Lady Laura Bush Meets Egypt's
Alam Simsim Muppets [html]
- West Bank/Gaza, 05/05: USAID Invests $6 Million
in Job Creation [pdf, English
/ Arabic]
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September 8, 2003: International Literacy Day
Tackling the Challenge of Illiteracy in Pakistan
September 8th is International Literacy Day. About 860 million
of the world's adults do not know how to read and write. Women
are the most affected and comprise nearly two-thirds of the
world's illiterate. Over half of those who are illiterate
live in the Asia and Near East region, as do 69 percent of
illiterate women.
Since 2002, USAID has tripled its education programs in the
region from three to nine countries and plans to start programs
in four more. The reason for this expansion is obvious. Education
is one of the most important tools to improve lives and communities.
At the most basic level, not being able to read or write puts
people at a disadvantage for jobs, leaving them vulnerable
to greater poverty. It can affect their health and their ability
to seek care for themselves and their families, and it can
jeopardize their legal rights, to name just a few. This is
especially true for women, who often struggle for equality
in many parts of the world.
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USAID-funded community
school in Pakistan.
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Pakistan's education program is one example of how USAID
is changing people's lives. The education sector is Pakistan
is immense, fragmented and famously resistant to change. Of
the approximately 18 million children in Pakistan, only 42
percent are enrolled in schools, and historically, less than
half of those enrolled complete five years of schooling. On
any given day, close to one quarter of the teachers in public
schools are likely to be absent. This is in a country where
the pupil to teacher ratio is already extremely high, at 55
to one. Consequently, illiteracy is a huge problem. Seventy-two
percent of women cannot read or write, nor can 43 percent
of men.
The reasons for the failure of Pakistan's schools are many
and daunting. Often teachers do not want to be teachers and
leave at the first opportunity. Politicians are assigning
teaching positions for patronage, which destroys morale and
quality within the teaching ranks. At the district, provincial
and federal levels, there is a great deal of confusion as
to who is responsible for education reform and a tug-of-war
over resources.
However, USAID is working in the sector at just the right
time. Parents are clamoring for quality education and are
willing to contribute to improvements from their own pockets.
The Government of Pakistan has made education a priority.
In fact, it believes that improving the quality of education
is the most important development challenge facing the country.
To improve the system as a whole, USAID is advising local
and national officials on how to design sound education policies,
with a special emphasis on ensuring that more girls can go
to school. To improve the quality of education in the schools,
USAID is training teachers and administrators using interactive
methods and adapting education materials for primary schools.
It is strengthening the National Literacy Commission and testing
the use of distance education to increase literacy among youth
and adults. USAID is also encouraging public-private partnerships
that support literacy programs and community involvement in
primary education. The project is focused on the provinces
of Sindh and Baluchistan, two areas facing especially severe
challenges and receiving less support from international donors
than others.
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