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USAID Announces Support to National Literacy Program In Afghanistan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 28, 2006
Press Office: 202-712-4320
Public Information: 202-712-4810
www.usaid.gov

Acting Deputy Administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) James Kunder and H.E. Hanif Atmar, Afghanistan's Minister of Education (Click for print-quality version)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In a meeting yesterday, Acting Deputy Administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) James Kunder and H.E. Hanif Atmar, Afghanistan's Minister of Education, announced support to the National Literacy Program in Afghanistan. The U.S. Government will contribute $22 million, over five years, to support the Ministry's vision of a literate Afghanistan. This initiative will be a partnership between the Ministry of Education, public and private organizations and USAID.

In Afghanistan, just one-third of adults and one-fifth of women are literate. The situation is worse in rural areas where only some 10 percent of women and 37 percent of men can read, write and do simple math computations. The impact of this lack of literacy is felt in all domains of life in Afghanistan.

The National Literacy Program aims to bring the ability to read and write into every household in the country through support across many government ministries in Afghanistan, as well as through the participation of NGOs, public and private organizations. In addition, there will be new policies, standards of teacher certification and student assessment and a teacher support system at the national, provincial and district levels.

This program is in addition to the $15 million provided for education initiatives in Afghanistan since 2004. These efforts are aimed at reaching a goal to provide literacy to 10 million people in Afghanistan by 2010.

For more information on this program and USAID programs in Afghanistan, please visit our website at http://www.usaid.gov/locations/asia_near_east/afghanistan/.

The U.S. Agency for International Development has provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for more than 40 years.

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