Literacy, NATO, and Afghanistan
Tens of thousands of previously non-literate Afghans can now read, thanks to the five-year NATO-led $200 million literacy program for the Afghan national security forces.
With fewer than 28 percent of adults who can read and write, non-literacy in Afghanistan is exacerbated by decades of war and disruptions in public education. Non-literacy among Afghans of military age was a major hurdle for the NATO coalition in Afghanistan, as recruits couldn't follow basic written instructions or read manuals for new weapons and equipment.
NATO set up a course to teach basic reading skills to expand literacy among the new Afghan army and police forces. More than 220,000 members have been trained in basic reading and more than 70,000 have achieved a level of functional literacy. 50,000 more recruits are in the program currently, and the Afghan government plans to continue the program after the end of NATO involvement next year.
Fewer than 1 million Afghan children were enrolled in school in 2001, according to the Brookings Institution, an American think-tank. By 2011, more than 8 million were enrolled and more than 700,000 adults are enrolled in literacy programs across the country. Improving literacy is essential for jobs and the Afghan economy.
"In 2010, only about 10 percent of [Afghan] recruits could read; now it's 15 percent," said U.S. Air Force Major Carol Marrujo, chief of literacy operations for NATO in Afghanistan.
The problem of non-literacy is not solved, as few women benefit directly from this literacy initiative and only about 13 percent of women in Afghanistan are literate. There are also very few options of reading material for the Afghan security forces who become literate through this program.
ProLiteracy partners with the Roqia Center in Afghanistan to combat non-literacy using education. The unique program with the Roqia Center brings husbands and wives into the same classroom to learn about human rights and constitutional rights as they enhance their literacy skills along the way. ProLiteracy, the Roqia Center, and initiatives like this one by NATO will continue to show the world that global literacy matters.
With fewer than 28 percent of adults who can read and write, non-literacy in Afghanistan is exacerbated by decades of war and disruptions in public education. Non-literacy among Afghans of military age was a major hurdle for the NATO coalition in Afghanistan, as recruits couldn't follow basic written instructions or read manuals for new weapons and equipment.
NATO set up a course to teach basic reading skills to expand literacy among the new Afghan army and police forces. More than 220,000 members have been trained in basic reading and more than 70,000 have achieved a level of functional literacy. 50,000 more recruits are in the program currently, and the Afghan government plans to continue the program after the end of NATO involvement next year.
Fewer than 1 million Afghan children were enrolled in school in 2001, according to the Brookings Institution, an American think-tank. By 2011, more than 8 million were enrolled and more than 700,000 adults are enrolled in literacy programs across the country. Improving literacy is essential for jobs and the Afghan economy.
"In 2010, only about 10 percent of [Afghan] recruits could read; now it's 15 percent," said U.S. Air Force Major Carol Marrujo, chief of literacy operations for NATO in Afghanistan.
The problem of non-literacy is not solved, as few women benefit directly from this literacy initiative and only about 13 percent of women in Afghanistan are literate. There are also very few options of reading material for the Afghan security forces who become literate through this program.
ProLiteracy partners with the Roqia Center in Afghanistan to combat non-literacy using education. The unique program with the Roqia Center brings husbands and wives into the same classroom to learn about human rights and constitutional rights as they enhance their literacy skills along the way. ProLiteracy, the Roqia Center, and initiatives like this one by NATO will continue to show the world that global literacy matters.
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