Luanda – The Ministry of Education (MED) reaffirmed this Saturday the government commitment to the process of teaching adults (literacy) as a way of guaranteeing schooling for all Angolans.
In a message alluding to the International Literacy Day, to be marked on September 8, the MED points out that, despite the restrictions imposed to face the prevention and fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, the commitment is to take the process to all the country to allow access to the education and learning system to all citizens, without exceptions.
To that end, the MED highlights the implementation of the Action Plan for Intensifying Literacy and Education for Youth and Adults (EJA Plan-Angola 2019 – 2022).
The plan implements three projects, namely, the eradication of illiteracy in Angola, reduction of school backwardness in primary and secondary education, as well as in professional training and vocational guidance.
According to data , in 2020, four million citizens in Angola have lost literacy and school recovery classes due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“These young people and adults, with little or no reading and writing skills, tend to be more vulnerable in managing their health, work and life”, reads the message.
According to the ministerial department, Covid-19 is the biggest challenge ever imposed on education and teaching systems, as it forced an interruption of teaching activities on a global scale, affecting more than 1.6 billion students.
The pandemic and its repercussions, have widened pre-existing inequalities in access to significant literacy learning opportunities, disproportionately affecting young people and adults.
The perspective, in 2020, was to teach about 500.000 citizens to read, as happened in 2019, but unfortunately classes were interrupted due to Covid-19.
The adult literacy process lasts four months and those in the post-literacy category last 18 months, divided into two stages.
The literacy course in Angola began in 1976, launched by the first President of the Republic, António Agostinho Neto. At that time, the country had an illiteracy rate of the economically active population estimated at 85 percent, and today it is around 24 percent.
The International Literacy Day was instituted in 1967 by UNESCO.
Source: Angola Press News Agency