Iraq has 5 million illiterates, Parliament’s Education committee says

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraq has 5 million illiterates, according to an announcement by the Parliament’s Education Committee, during its discussion of a draft-law on illiteracy eradication in the Parliament on Thursday.   “The Education Committee has held a session to discuss a draft-law on illiteracy eradication, with the presence of specialists, field experts and social society organizations, the Committee’s Chairman, Fahad Sharshab told IraqiNews.com news agency, stressing that “the number of illiterates in Iraq has reached 5 millions.”   He said that “the draft-law on illiteracy eradication in Iraq is a major project, for which the State would assign all its potentials, with the formation of a special commission, led by the Education Minister and representatives of the majority of Iraqi ministries,” adding that the project aims at educating all citizens, whose age exceeds 15 years.   On his part, the Chairman of the so-called “Iraqi Committee of Culture for All,” Abed Jassim al-Sa’edy, told IraqiNews.com that “the current Illiteracy Eradication law is ‘slack’ and does not accomplish its motive, because it’s nothing, but a collection of government orders and decisions,” adding that “those, who had prepared that law were not on the level of knowing the reality of education in Iraq.”   “The illiteracy problem in Iraq needs international efforts, due to its serious impacts,” he said, adding that “the main environment in Iraq is not prepared now to eradicate illiteracy, due to the fact that unemployment and socio-economic prerequisites have surpassed everything else.”   SKH (RT)