Almost 21 million illiterate: Government
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Education and Culture Wardiman Djojonegoro said yesterday 20.8 million Indonesians above the age of 10 are illiterate.
Of that total, the government is focusing on 5.7 million people between the ages of 10 and 44 in its literacy campaign, he said in a press conference held in connection with International Literacy Day on Sept. 8. Celebration of International Literacy Day in Indonesia will be held in Bogor, West Java on Sept. 24.
During the celebration, President Soeharto will confer awards to government officials who have made outstanding contributions toward the eradication of illiteracy.
Wardiman said the goal of the campaign is to provide literacy training for the 5.7 million people over the next three years.
According to Ministry of Social Services data, as of July 1996, there were about six million children aged between seven and 15 who could not attend school for various reasons.
Director General of Extracurricular Activities and Sports Soedijarto said this year, the government targeted one million illiterate people and next year, the target will be doubled.
He said he is optimistic the target can be achieved with the involvement of the Armed Forces (ABRI) and public participation.
The national literacy campaign was launched last year by the Ministry of Education and Culture, ABRI, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Religious Affairs, social organizations, non-governmental organizations and students.
He said most illiterate people live in remote locations and slum areas.
Besides, he said, many people become illiterate again because they do not use their reading and writing abilities in their daily lives.
The 1995 data revealed that most illiterate people, or 16.9 million, live in the villages. Out of this number, 11.4 million are women, Soedijarto said.
Among the world's nine most populous countries, Indonesia ranked the sixth in terms of the number of illiterate people in 1995. India topped the list, followed by China, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nigeria. Indonesia's ranking was followed by Brazil, Egypt and Mexico. (ste)