Basraians want to eliminate illiteracy in their province

BASRA / IraqiNews.com: Basraians are happy with a decision made by the government to eliminate illiteracy, While teachers in the province considered the decision a step on the right direction, average people said that the government should move to accomplish this target by soonest. Yet, the “so what” discussion is still going on about the outcome of eliminating illiteracy. Some people say that it would become a condition to get hired by the state, while others see it a necessity to communicate, achieve knowledge, and avoid embarrassments. Ahmed Jassim, 30 years, wants to learn how to read and write if he would have the opportunity. “I feel like I live in darkness,” he told IraqiNews.com news agency. Jassim left school when he was a child. He has been working for the private sector since then. “I heard from my friends that in order to be hired by the state, a citizen has to be able to read and write.” Khalid al-Ibodi, 27 years, cannot read and write. He is very upset that some of his friends had university degrees while he is illiterate. “Their life has become much easier than mine,” said al-Ibodi who works a custodial. He said that the government should work on executing its decision by soonest. “Employers should allow their illiterate staff to join the government’s reading-writing classes for at least 1-2 hours per day,” al-Ibodi said. Um Hassan, 55 years, said that perhaps she is old for learning, but sometimes she feels a deep desire to read and write. “I’ll be more than happy to have an opportunity to learn how to read and write,” Um Hassan said. Um Ahmed, another woman from Basra, wishes to be able to read what she sees. “I feel sad when I can’t help my grandson with his homework,” she said. Yaseen Mohammed, a teacher from Basra, perceives that there are millions of Iraqis who suffer illiteracy. He identifies different parameters that contribute to illiteracy in Iraq. “Poverty, legislations, and education programs are parameters that affect illiteracy level in Iraq,” Mohammed said. He said that although illiteracy in the internet age has an advanced meaning than the traditional one, but in Iraq it still means the ability to read and write. “I’m so happy that the government made this decision, because it would have major social impacts,” Yaseen said. MH (I)/SH 2