(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Speaking to the Muslim world on the occasion of the International Literacy Day, celebrated on September 8th, Altwaijri warned that illiteracy is hampering the effort to promote comprehensive, sustainable development. Illiteracy, he explained, is a social ill that can only be addressed through concerted action by governments, local councils and civil-society bodies.
Illiteracy, ISESCO Director General further explained, is an unacceptable threat to the security and stability of societies, and seriously undermines the social and economic policies necessary to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, as set out in the Program of Action of the World Summit for Social Development.
It is of the essence, Altwaijri stressed, to bring institutions of original, Arabic and Islamic education, particularly Qur’anic schools established in mosques, to bear in the effort to increase literacy rate among males and females, promote adult education and offer incentives to encourage enrolment in literacy programs.
Illiteracy, still rampant among women across the Muslim world, is a serious impediment to government-led action to achieve overall development, Altwaijri further emphasized. He pointed out that activities and programs launched by ISESCO, under its 2010-2012 action plan, in the fields of literacy, non-formal education, adult education and education for unschooled children and people with special needs, include designing and implementing educational programs and holding meetings to secure appropriate resources for programs on digital literacy and literacy for special need categories. He argued that combating illiteracy should be taken to be a religious and moral obligation that requires strong commitment from all social partners within the Muslim society (governments, local councils, civil society, regional and international organizations, labor unions), and a top long-term priority in national policies. At the end of his message to the Muslim world on the International Literacy Day, Altwaijri explained that freeing oneself from conventional and digital illiteracy is the right of all, as mandated by religious texts and international laws. In addition, he appealed to the Member States to launch well-articulated programs and modern technology-based campaigns to promote literacy, with the involvement of all national stakeholders.
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