Iraq looks to tackle problem of adult illiteracy

As Iraq’s population has been struggling with conflict and drought since the 1980s, many older, illiterate Iraqis are now trying to learn how to read and write under challenging circumstances.
Iraqi women take part in a literacy class at a school in the Hay al-Amel neighborhood of Baghdad on September 9 2008. The classes under the umbrella 'Culture For All', are funded by several charity organizations based in London also by UNICEF and the Red Crescent. 'Culture for All' runs several initiatives including teaching adult illiteracy classes and sewing classes, they also provide lawyers to advise citizens on human right issues. AFP PHOTO / ALI YUSSEF (Photo credit should read ALI YUSSEF/AFP/Getty I
Iraqi women take part in a literacy class at a school in the Hay al-Amel neighborhood of Baghdad, Sept. 9, 2008. - ALI YUSSEF/AFP/Getty Images
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Wassim Bassem
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A video of Iraqi peasant Umm Imad from the city of Ramadi, 110 kilometers (68 miles) west of Baghdad, has been circulating online among Iraqis. The video reveals the inability of the elderly woman to understand school lessons.

Although the video reflects the difficulties that those who have missed their chance of education face when returning to school at a later age, it also shows the willingness of some to learn how to read and write, at a time when the Iraqi Ministry of Education seeks to foster the role of literacy centers.

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