UNESCO Literacy Prize Awarded to ANAFAE
First Lady Bibi Gul awarding the Literacy Prize in Kabul
ANAFAE and DVV International are actively involved to support literacy education in Afghanistan since 2005, and DVV even since 2002. More than 25.000 learners, mainly females participated in the nine-month literacy education courses of ANAFAE and DVV International. ANAFAE is recently providing literacy education in settlements of refugee families who returned from Iran and Pakistan.
The UNESCO Literacy Award called after the first Lady “Bibi Gul Literacy Prize” was received by the Afghan National Association for Adult Education, ANAFAE and two other national NGOs on November 20.
In her speech First Lady Bibi Gul urged all Afghans men and women to learn. Educated people can play a more important role in development of the country.
Patricia McPhillips UNESCO Director for Afghanistan stated that despite tireless education efforts, still 10 million people over the age of 15 years are can’t read and write as well as don’t know mummery skills. She said that according to the National Literacy Strategy 34 percent men and 18 women are benefited literacy in low levels. In rural area 90 percent of women and 63 percent of men can’t read and write, she added.
The Minister for Education Assadullah Hanif Balkhi informed that currently only less than 500,000 male and female students can be covert by literacy education courses throughout the country.
According a recent assessment of Grade 6 graduates learning outcomes, the Ministry of Education informs that:
- 45% cannot read fluently and comprehend a simple text,
- 31% cannot solve a simple math problem
- 13% cannot write a simple word
- 11% cannot read a simple word
The quality of the education system in Afghanistan is very low compared to its neighbours in Pakistan, Uzbekistan or Turkmenistan.
Afghanistan has the highest illiteracy rate in the region and worldwide, yet currently in Afghanistan, only 3.7% of GDP is being spent on education. UNESCO and also the NGOs recommended in their Education Briefing Paper to the Brussels Afghanistan Conference that at least 6% of Afghanistan’s GDP should be spent on education.
Over the past three years, overall expenditure in the education sector in Afghanistan has slightly increased, but spending has significantly decreased in adult literacy programmes. According to the National Literacy Department there was a 35% decrease in spending on literacy programs in 2015. The government of Afghanistan and donors need to immediately address the funding gap in the literacy education programmes: Both should plan to double the current amount in the next four years and gradually increase the total amount of spending in the education sector.
