Protocol signed to declare Egypt's Sohag as illiteracy-free

CAIRO – 17 November 2021: A protocol was signed in Upper Egypt’s governorate of Sohag aiming to eliminate illiteracy among citizens in the city.

President of Sohag University Mostafa Abdel Khaleq revealed that the university has been keen on maintaining its effective role in eradicating illiteracy among citizens in the governorate by harnessing all possibilities available to students.

In this regard, Abdel Khaleq said that the university has put a condition for graduation, that each student should eradicate illiteracy of at least one person in Sohag.

The President of Sohag University explained that the initiative comes under the patronage of Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and Major General Tarek El-Feki, Governor of Sohag, with the participation and presence of Dr. Ashour Omari, head of the executive body of the General Authority for Adult Education, and a group of specialists and stakeholders in this regard.

Abdel-Khaleq added that according to the directives of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, the President of the Republic, the Ministry of Higher Education has included the issue of eradicating illiteracy among its main objectives in light of the sustainable development plan and Egypt’s Vision 2030, and part of the presidential initiative Haya Karima (A Dignified Life), which aims to develop the livelihoods of the Egyptian countryside.

The university president confirmed that Sohag governorate is witnessing a rise in the illiteracy rate, which amounts to 20 percent of the total population, or more than 40 percent of the critical mass over 16 years of age. Therefore, a comprehensive and detailed study was prepared to declare Egypt free of illiteracy by 2030.