KABUL - Afghan CEO Abdullah Abdullah on Sunday called on religious clerics to take significant steps to stamp out illiteracy in the country.
Addressing a press conference to mark International Literacy Day, which falls on Thursday, Abdullah said that illiteracy should not be accepted by anyone – "not by government or the people".
He said that for all Afghans today, education was critical.
He also called on the various organizations involved in tackling illiteracy to work with government to help eliminate the problem.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of International Literacy Day and UNESCO is celebrating it under the banner "Reading the Past, Writing the Future".
International Literacy Day 2016 celebrates and honors the past five decades of national and international engagement, efforts and progress made to increase literacy rates around the world. It also addresses current challenges and looks to innovative solutions to further boost literacy in the future.
Afghanistan has one of the lowest literacy rates in the world, currently estimated at about 31 percent of the adult population (over 15 years of age), according to UNESCO.
Female literacy levels are on average 17 percent, with high variation, indicating a strong geographical and gender divide.
The highest female literacy rate, for instance is 34.7 percent, found in the capital, Kabul, while a rate as low as 1.6 percent is found in two southern provinces of the country.
Male literacy rates average about 45 percent, again with high variation. The highest male literacy rates are in Kabul, at 68 percent, while the lowest is found in Helmand, at 41 percent.(Tolonews)