Zim Tops Literacy Rankings
The Herald (Harare)
NEWS
14 September 2007
Posted to the web 14 September 2007
Harare
Zimbabwe has the highest overall literacy rate in Southern Africa at 90
percent followed by South Africa with 86 percent, according to the latest
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation statistics
on literacy in Africa.
This development prompted the University of Maryland in the United States to
give Zimbabwe an award for excellence in education at the Second African
Awards in January this year in recognition of the investments made by the
Government in the education sector.
The statistics, released during celebrations to mark International Literacy
Day that falls any day between September 8 and 12, show that close to 98
percent of youths are literate compared to a regional average of 69,4
percent while the adult literacy rate is 89,4 percent, way ahead of the
regional average of 59,2 percent. Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland are third
on 81 percent while Mozambique recorded the lowest at 46 percent. Last year,
the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development ranked the quality
of education on offer in Zimbabwe as the third best in Africa, after Tunisia
and Kenya, and 39th in the world.
The quality of mathematics and science education in Zimbabwe was ranked 70th
in the world with Morocco at 49th and Benin at 55th adjudged to be the only
other African countries better in this department. The Deputy Minister of
Education, Sport and Culture, Cde Titus Maluleke, who was the guest of
honour during the International Literacy Day celebrations in Guruve this
week, commended Zimbabwe for making significant strides in eradicating
illiteracy. The celebrations were held under the theme, "Literacy, key to
good health and well being". In a speech read on his behalf by the acting
quality assurance director in the ministry, Mr Nelson Kapisi, at Chakaodza
Primary School on Wednesday, Cde Maluleke noted that the progress on the
literacy rate had been great, especially among women.
"Women have recorded tremendous success in reducing their illiteracy rate to
a mere 4 percent today from 64 percent before the attainment of independence
in 1980," he said. Cde Maluleke said literacy was key to enhancing human
capabilities with wide-ranging benefits including improved health and family
planning, HIV and Aids prevention, children's education, poverty reduction
and active citizenship, among others.
The deputy minister expressed gratitude to Plan Zimbabwe and Unesco for
partnering his ministry in support of the adult literacy programme. He urged
the two organisations to continue with the support until Zimbabwe achieved
100 percent literacy.
Chakaodza Primary School, which hosted the celebrations, has a class of 19
adults between 36 and 60 years of age who are under the adult literacy
programme. President Mugabe launched the literacy campaign in Mudzi in July
1983. Literacy remains an elusive target in Africa with 60 percent of adults
on the continent unable to read or write. According to Unesco, more than 700
million adults, mostly women, lack minimum literacy skills globally.
It is believed that almost 800 million people worldwide are functional
illiterates, meaning they can neither read, write nor count. Zimbabwe's
impressive literacy statistics have been premised on a sound education
system that has advanced in leaps and bounds since independence in 1980.
_____
Copyright C 2007 The Herald. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica
Global Media (allAfrica.com).
The Mulindwas Communication Group
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