Saudi illiteracy rate falls by 61 percent

Illiteracy rates in Saudi Arabia have fallen by 61 percent during the past nine years, local media said quoting a report released by the Ministry of Education.
The report said the Kingdom has achieved the goal stated in the Dakar Forum, which took place in Senegal in the year 2000, in which participants had pledged to reduce the illiteracy rate by 50 percent.
According to the report, the average rate of illiteracy among Saudi males during the last year stood at just under four percent, while it averaged around 10 percent among females.
Illiteracy saw a decline in the Kingdom at an average of around seven percent, compared to just under 18 percent between 2005 and 2006, the report said, adding that the target was achieved through policies pursued by the ministry to eradicate illiteracy in the country.
Saudi government is developing illiteracy eradication programs based on several patterns meant to achieve the desired targets.
The advisory council of teachers at the Department of Education in Riyadh region is focusing on several issues, including mechanisms to reduce the absence of teachers following quarterly tests, as well as the ministry’s role to preserve their rights.