Illiteracy plagues Arab world

The result of the recent study shows that nearly one in three people in the Arab world is illiterate,

Three-quarters of the 100 million people unable to read or write in the 21 Arab countries are aged between 15 and 45 years old, according to the Tunis-based Arab League Educational Cultural and Scientific Organisation (Alecso).

Equally alarming, some 46.5% of women in the region are illiterate, the organisation reported, urging governments to put the fight against illiteracy at the top of their agendas.

While describing access to primary school education as "indispensable," it also urged Arab countries to focus on adult education to avoid "serious incidents in the evolution of [Arab] societies".