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Iraqi Government Takes On Illiteracy

With rising illiteracy rates across the country, particularly in rural areas, the Iraqi government has launched initiatives to boost literacy.
People read books during the launch of a reading initiative in Baghdad September 29, 2012. The "I am Iraqi... I read" initiative was launched by activists on Saturday in Baghdad to encourage Iraqis to read in a country that had suffered decades of war and internal struggle. Picture taken September 29, 2012. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani (IRAQ - Tags: SOCIETY EDUCATION) - RTR38M7Q
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Iraqi authorities have decided to establish more than 500 literacy centers, after the Ministry of Education, led by Sunni politician Mohammad Tamim, acknowledged that the illiteracy rate in Iraq had risen to 22%.

The spokesman for the Commission for Literacy, Yehya al-Saffah, told Al-Monitor, “Around 5,000 illiterate individuals will enroll in the new centers.”

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