TWO IN FIVE ILLITERATE

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31564, 29 December 1967, Page 7

TWO IN FIVE ILLITERATE

(N Z P.A -Reuter—Copyright) NEW YORK, December 28. More than 1000 million people—-two-fifths of the world’s population—can neither read nor write, according to a book published in New York yesterday.

The book, “Illiteracy: A World Problem,” is by a former senior British Colonial Office official, Sir Charles Jeffries. He suggests the establishment of special government ministries to fight illiteracy in developing countries. “If I were Prime Minister of a developing country 1 would create a ministry of

literacy and give the minister full cabinet rank and no other responsibilities,” he writes.

He lists among countries with formidable illiteracy problems Ecuador, Haiti, United Arab Republic, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Nigeria. The ranks of world illiteracy were swollen by 200 million between 1961 and 1966, Sir Charles Jeffries says. So far the fight against it has been “a losing battle”.

“The world will be lucky if it can keep the numbers of adult illiterates from con tinning to increase above 1000 million during the rest of the century,” he says.

“The world has not now got 40 or even 20 years to indulge in the luxury of illiteracy. There can be no half measures in tackling this problem.”