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Afghanistan

The pilot programme of enhancement of literacy in Afghanistan starts in Bamiyan

UNESCO and Ministry of Education will inaugurate the pilot programme of Enhancement of Literacy in Afghanistan (ELA) in the Shaidan area of Bamiyan province on Nov, 11, 2008 with presence of villagers. Director, UNESCO Kabul, Head of UNAMA in Bamiyan, Governmental and Non Governmental officials and journalists will be present on the occasion.

Shaidan area is located 28 km west of Bamiyan Provincial capital. UNESCO in cooperation with Ministry of Education has setup 32 literacy classes in the Shaidan area for piloting of ELA programme. Besides literacy initiative the ELA programme aims to provide vocational skills trainings and micro-credit facilities to the neo-literates and link them with income generation opportunities.

Funded by the Government of Japan, ELA will provide literacy assistance to 600,000 illiterate men and women of over 15 years age across 18 provinces of Afghanistan in the next five years. ELA will be the flagship of literacy intervention in the country where 66% of its people (over 15 years) are illiterate. Considering the fact that the rate of women literacy is only 18%, this project has special focus on women empowerment with the ultimate goal of 60% of its beneficiaries will be women.

Since 2002 UNESCO in close collaboration with the government of Afghanistan and Ministry of Education, has been providing assistance and technical input to renew the education system and to develop National Education Strategic Plan (NESP- 2006-2010). Besides assistance to rehabilitation of Afghan Education system, UNESCO seeks to promote cultural diversity, preservation of tangible and non tangible cultural heritage, freedom of the press and environmental issues in close collaboration with Government of Afghanistan.

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For further information please contact:

Yukitoshi Matsumoto (Mr.)
Program Coordinator, Enhancement of Literacy in Afghanistan (ELA)
yukitoshi.matsumoto@undp.org
+93 (0)77 4076 537

Or;

Mohammad Amin Sadiqi, Public Information Officer, Kabul
amin.sadiqi@undp.org
Tel: +93 (0) 799 125292