Kurdistan 24 visits Adult-Illiteracy education setting

Dec. 7, 2024 
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – According to Ministry of Education of the Kurdistan Region Government (KRG), in general, the illiteracy rate in Kurdistan Region decreased by 16%, the figure represents a significant improvement from 2018, when the illiteracy rate stood by 24%. 

Read More: Kurdistan Region sees significant drop in illiteracy rates, major advancements in education under 9th cabinet

According to non-governmental sources, the illiteracy rate among the elderly generation, believes to be covering (60+ year) of age, remains high.

However, with a long history of the financial support dedicated by the Kurdistan Regional Government and its educational settings to eliminate the illiteracy among elderly people.

Those educational settings support elders who cannot read or write to learn and to be able to fully read and write independently, especially with the new era of technology and online services.

Kurdistan 24 visited one of those schools that provides academic education to elders and explored different sides of that school, from the objects-learning, classes, exams, plans, elderly students, teachers to the challenges and any types of obstacles faced by them.

School To Eliminate Illiteracy is the name of the school, its headmaster explained the school is dedicated to assist illiterate elders who like to learn, he also highlighted that the aim is to eliminate illiteracy among people who are unable to read, write, pursue education and possible career, "about 80 students participate, there are three grades, time terms, annual exams, according to the plan and program set by the KRG Ministry of Education." 

The student are taught Kurdish, mathematics, religion, sciences and social studies, such project is an important national step, to develop the school, the headteacher affirmed the receipt of license from the Ministry of Education and the General Directorate of Central Education in Erbil. 

Halima, 67, is one of the students, told her story, which went back to the last year, from a word of mouth, friends and neighbours, she decided to get enrolled at that school "rescued myself from illiteracy" she said. 

She would like, all the time, to sit at the front row, likes to read and write whatever she's taught on daily basis, she has a strong will to learn, likes all the subjects apart from the sciences. 

Halima complained about the social norms at the time she was very young, “they told us girls should not study, should not go to school, but now we have been given the opportunity to study and learn, I am learning, our teachers are all very good” She added. 

Her teachers give her compliments on her hard work and attempts, she is determined to complete her learning journey, graduate and gain the certificate. 

Despite of her age, which has not been an obstacle on the way of her journey of learning how to read and write, she is the oldest in her class, which is about 30 students, aged between 20 to 50, she and her classmates have a great passion for studying and learning. 

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