Illiteracy to be erased by 2008

Illiteracy to be erased by 2008

Antara, Jakarta

The government is determined to eradicate illiteracy by 2008, especially among people within the productive age range of 10 and 44 years, with the aim of increasing the country's intellectual resources and alleviating poverty, an official said on Monday.

The Ministry of National Education Director General of Informal and Youth Education Fasli Jalal said the fight against illiteracy involves a paradigm shift so that the literacy program is not merely considered a general community service project but an investment in human resources.

Speaking on the sidelines of an exhibition of handicrafts created by students from one of the directorate's programs, Fasli said that literacy could be measured by the ability of people to read, write and speak Indonesian.

The curriculum of the literacy program is oriented mainly toward people's practical skills used to earn a living, he added.

Fasli explained the number of illiterate people reached about 18.6 million this year, as compared to the country's total population of 210 million.

The data shows that, from the total number of illiterate people, around 5.9 million are within the productive age group, while the remaining 12.7 million are those under the age of 10 years old and above 45.

Fasli explained that his directorate's literacy program was designed to teach students to read with books, as well as through other interactive activities.

The program, he said, included the opening of night courses, at the same level as classes in elementary and junior high schools, for illiterate people in every neighborhood. The tutors are also recruited from the community.

The program is supported by the provision of public libraries and public learning activity centers in every village, which will be used for teaching, Fasli added.