Illiteracy rate in Morocco drops to 38.5%
2007-04-20
The rate of illiteracy among Moroccans over 10 years of age dropped to 38.5% at the end of 2006, from 43% in 2004, Le Matin reported on Thursday (April 19th). Fifteen percent of children between the ages of 9 and 14 do not regularly attend schools, a national survey on illiteracy showed. The survey of 12,000 households was conducted by the state secretariat in charge of literacy. In geographical terms, the region of Casablanca has the lowest illiteracy rate (23%), while the regions of Taza-Al Hoceima, Tadla-Azilal and Souss registered the highest rate, reaching 45%. The illiteracy rate is much higher in rural areas where it is over 55%. The average in urban areas does not exceed 27%. The government has launched a programme which seeks to teach one million people per year to read and write, to bring the illiteracy rate below 20% by 2010 and to complete eradicate it by 2015.