World illiteracy level hits 774 million

A Civil Society Organisation (CSO), Global Campaign for Education, has in Washington, said more than 774 million adults were illiterates across the world. The organisation said that 75 million children of primary school age were also outside the classrooms. A statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Washington DC said another 226 million children of secondary school age were not in schools. The statement was issued on the side line of the ongoing 2009 Spring meetings of the World Bank and the IMF.” Nearly all governments have promised ‘Education for All’ by 2015, yet the current global financial crisis threatens to worsen the global situation. The world’s poorest did not create this financial crisis, yet they stand to pay the highest price. Budget squeezes in education are threatening to reverse progress made in recent years. We cannot allow illiteracy to rise,” the statement said. It says the rich world has a responsibility to education, which is one of the best investments the world can make to combat poverty. “We are calling for $16 billion, a small fraction of the cost of the bank bailouts,” the statement quoted Assibi Napoe, Chairman of the Global Campaign for Education, as saying. As part of measures to promote education, the statement, said the CSO had launched The Big Read campaign, which features stories written in a book by prominent Africans like Nelson Mandela, is taking place across the world, in homes, schools, government buildings and public events.