The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has made major strides in illiteracy eradication over the past 40 years. “The Kingdom brought down the level of illiteracy in the country from 60 percent in 1972 to 4 percent in 2012," said a statement issued by the Ministry of Education on the occasion of the World Day of Illiteracy Eradication on Friday. The Kingdom started efforts to eradicate illiteracy by educating adults in 1954, it added. According to the ministry's recent web-posting the general realization to get educated has made students join schools in all parts of the Kingdom and pushed up the rate of children going to school to 98.7 percent. “However, the efforts to educate elderly people, who missed their chance to be literate previously, have been continuing without any letup," Undersecretary for Boys Education at the Ministry of Education Abdul Rahman Al-Barrak said, adding that the efforts would not end until all old people acquire learning skills. --MORE
