South Sulawesi fights illiteracy

South Sulawesi fights illiteracy

MAKASSAR, South Sulawesi: The South Sulawesi education office
plans to reduce the number of illiterate people in the province
by 11,400 this year, or 5 percent the total number of 280,000
illiterate people in South Sulawesi.

This target is seven times higher than last year's target of
1,500, said the head of the education office's extracurricular
programs, Adnan Siara, on Tuesday.

He said the province was counting on the help of non-
governmental organizations and volunteers to make the reading
project a success.

He said South Sulawesi had a relatively high percentage of
illiterate residents. Of the province's 7.51 million residents,
280,000 are illiterate, or 3.6 percent of the entire population.

Adnan said the illiteracy rate was especially high among
children. The province, he said, had launched a pilot project
called Padu aimed at children. The project is being introduced in
four regencies and will involve 6,500 children and 130 teachers.

Supported by the World Bank, the project will expand to
include one million people by 2004, Adan said. -- Antara