How Saudi Arabia ?...Continued at page 19

books, tutoring and support. Mansoor Ahmed, director of health care, education, development solutions and PPP for the MENA region at the advisory firm Colliers International, also said the Kingdom was implementing “several commendable initiatives to achieve its aspiration to eradicate illiteracy by 2024.” “Among several education reforms, the rollout of adult education and literacy centers is expected to positively impact on the literacy levels in the country. There has been a signif- icant increase in literacy rates over the past decade due to focused policy measures.” Ahmed said the region was becoming more aware of the importance of literacy and education for all. “For example, Egypt has also come up with ambitious targets in tackling illiteracy by improving educational infrastructure. We expect this trend to continue in the long term as the governments implement their economic transformation programs. The UAE, also, has recently launched a free e-learning platform which provides education videos to over 50 million Arab students. “We believe initiatives such as these, if implemented sustainably, will help the region achieve higher levels of literacy,” he said. Hegazi Idris Ibrahim, a program specialist in basic education and literacy at the regional office for education in Arab states at the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), highlighted the Kingdom’s efforts in diversifying its educational programs, paying financial incentives to adult learners who join literacy programs and adopting a “lifelong learning initiative” to achieve an illiteracy-free society. “Literacy is more important than ever given the increasing dependence on fast-growing technology, and the rapid changes in the labor market and inter-country mobilities,” said Ibrahim. “For the region, it is also important for peace and stability. “UNESCO’s target is to provide the right to high-quality education to all, including adult learners, and to make lifelong learning a reality and reduce the illiteracy rate by 2030.” Source:arabnews.com