Illiteracy rate drops to 3.7% in Saudi Arabia

RIYADH — The Ministry of Education has announced that the illiteracy rate in the Kingdom dropped from 5.6% in 2019 to 3.7% in 2021.

The ministry implemented 1,314 remote literacy-training programs in neighborhood centers where more than 90,000 learners benefited from them. Furthermore, the ministry has provided educational alternatives through the Madrasati platform and recorded lessons via IEN educational channels for all stages.

The ministry will participate on Saturday, in the celebration of Arab Literacy Day, which was approved by the Arab Organization for Education, Culture, and Science (ALESCO) and falls on January 8 of each year to enhance Arab efforts to reduce falls on the 8th of January of each year education.

At the beginning of the academic year 2021-2022, the ministry provided quality educational and training programs that corresponded to the characteristics of adults and aligned with the needs of the labor market. This progress is helping to achieve the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 and its aspirations towards sustainable development and lifelong learning.

The ministry believes strongly in the importance of equal opportunities in the education process and the right of every individual to join the learning journey.

The ministry has made achievements in the fields of continuing education and literacy during the past year, despite the exceptional circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic. The ministry has developed study plans for continuing education curricula for all stages, in line with the three-semester system.

It has also hastened the transition to electronic services by launching a channel of continuing education within the IEN educational channels, updating the organizational framework for the summer campaigns program to eradicate illiteracy, implementing remote awareness campaigns, and targeting a number of beneficiaries in villages and adult education centers in the governorates.