Illiteracy revisited
A major new project aiming to significantly reduce illiteracy has just been launched. Reem Nafie examines its chances of success
In a small room at the Talaat Harb Library in Cairo's Sayeda Nafisa district, 60 recent college graduates attended a lecture detailing the methods of teaching illiterate children and adults how to read and write. The lecture is part of the "Century Project" -- an ambitious illiteracy eradication project being officially launched this month.
The Ministry of Education and the General Authority for Literacy and Adult Education (GALAE) have been preparing for the "Century Project" for the past year. The project -- which is under the auspices of President Hosni Mubarak -- aims to teach 7.5 million people over the next 5 years to read and write. According to GALAE head Hussein Abbas, around 50,000 college graduates will be trained to teach around 1.5 million illiterates a year.
Illiteracy eradication programmes are nothing new in Egypt. The total eradication of illiteracy in the country has been the stated goal of consecutive governments since the 1950s. The results, however, have not been as successful as had been hoped. According to a UNESCO report, 37.8 per cent of the population was illiterate in 1986. By 2003, the report said, 29.8 per cent of the population was still illiterate. "Although this is an improvement," said Abbas, "previous programmes were not intense enough" to overcome the huge illiteracy problem.
According to Abbas, another critical difference this time is that the project is relying on fresh college graduates for its working staff, rather than older teachers appointed by the Ministry of Education. "The project is reliant on young volunteers," Abbas said, "which makes us confident that great results are in store."
While Abbas believes that most of the graduates who have signed up have done so out of "an obligation to their country", some of those spoken to by the Al-Ahram Weekly seemed to have other motivations as well. Walid Ibrahim, a graduate of Cairo University's Faculty of Commerce, said he joined the programme because "after graduating, I didn't find a job. I signed up for the 'Century Project' when I found out it paid LE150 a month."
Another participant, who preferred to remain anonymous, said, "I don't think any of the volunteers really believe in the cause. Most of us are doing it just because we need the money."
Perhaps Abbas and the other organisers, however, can take comfort in the fact that most of those who signed up were women. In general, it appears as though the female instructors are much more enthusiastic and idealistic about the task at hand.
Cairo University Faculty of Law graduate Salwa El-Sayed said that she was "really happy to be a part of this kind of project". According to El-Sayed, the money was not a motivational factor. "What can you do with LE150 these days anyway?" she asked. Those who were doing it for the money, she said, "don't deserve the job".
Another female volunteer told the Weekly that she was confident that "we will make the project succeed. As long as there are a few like us, who are keen on teaching those in need, a lot of people will be able to overcome illiteracy."
Veteran educators spoken to by the Weekly had their doubts. "It's simply too late to overcome illiteracy in Egypt," said high school teacher Essam Abdel-Karim. "If the government wanted to overcome this problem, they should have acted on it a long time ago. Now there are just too many people who aren't interested in education."
The circumstances of some of those meant to be beneficiaries of the programme seem to confirm Abdel-Karim's sentiments. "It's very hard for me to attend classes, because I have to work at night," said Farag, a Heliopolis car mechanic.
At the same time, Farag has a very palpable reason for attending the classes. Many mechanics are unable to obtain driver's licences precisely because they do not have a literacy certificate -- even if they actually know the basics of reading and writing. "What am I supposed to do?" Farag asked. "I don't have time to attend and there is no placement test I can take to prove that I can read and write."
Soliman, a Nasr City grocer who hates being illiterate, also has the same problem. "What do you think is more important?" he asked, "making a living or wasting time learning?"
The residual costs associated with the classes may also be a problem for some. Amal, a 30-year-old house worker who regularly attends literacy classes, said she was "happy to be learning", but that she spends "nearly all the money I make on books and pencils". According to Amal, attending class three times a week has also forced her to "buy more clothes in order to look presentable", which has also added another burden onto her limited budget.
Abbas admitted that there were certainly a lot of obstacles to the project's success, but that "no one said overcoming a big problem like illiteracy would be easy." He warned against prejudging the project even before it began.
Abbas was also hopeful that the project may have a greater chance of success in the governorates, especially among "younger children and women who don't have much to do, and are desperately seeking opportunities to learn".
