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66 per cent of Arab illiterate adults are women

The Geneva Centre for Human Rights Advancement and Global Dialogue, a non-governmental organisation based in Geneva, hosted a panel discussion on “Opportunities and Challenges for Women’s Education in the Arab World” recently on the sidelines of the 26th Human Rights Council session.

The participants at the panel discussion emphasised that women’s education is an essential component of all strategies to promote human rights and encourage sustainable development.

Girls throughout the region continue to be excluded from education, and many are not adequately educated to face the job market. Where access is not a problem, the quality of the education provided is often low.

Although all Arab governments have laid down that children must receive at least five years of schooling and provide free education through high school, the rapid growth of school-age populations in the region is posing a challenge.

Women in Arab countries are twice as likely to be illiterate as men are and make up two-thirds of the region’s illiterate adults. The curricula, teaching materials, and media in Arab region often reinforce traditional roles that may restrict women’s opportunities for equal participation in society. Only 20 per cent of women aged 15 and older in Arab countries are in the labour force, making that the lowest level in any region.

• UAE