Adults attend a literacy class in iraq
Iraq puts illiteracy rate at 15.3%, plans to enroll 100,000 learners this year
BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Executive Directorate for Literacy said the country’s illiteracy rate stands at 15.3%, and announced plans to enroll about 100,000 learners this academic year through literacy centers and accelerated education schools.
Wisam Nahid Aboud, director general of technical affairs at the directorate, told the state news agency that the national census “identified the illiteracy rate at 15.3% across the country,” adding that until the end of 2024 there had been no official figure, aside from international surveys “that were not at a level allowing precise reliance on them.”
He said the directorate, established in 2013, has targeted “more than two and a half million citizens and employees from those who are illiterate, despite limited material and logistical support.”
Aboud said the directorate aims this year to reach “about 100,000 students distributed between literacy centers and accelerated education schools, from males and females aged 12 and above.”
He added that a draft of a new literacy law has been completed to address gaps observed over more than a decade of work. The draft is now under discussion at the State Council and includes measures intended to reduce the illiteracy rate and ensure continued education for those enrolled in the program.
