The World Federation of Trade Unions, representing more than 92 million workers, denounce the phenomenon of illiteracy in the whole planet and especially in the continent of Asia. While we are approaching the year 2018 the recorded rates of illiteracy are still extremely high.
According to the Unesco data the World illiteracy rate is 13.7% which would imply that about a billion people have not even the most elementary education and have not the ability of reading and writing. According to the Unesco data of the last decades the majority of the illiteracy people (almost 70%) lives in Asia the half of the illiteracy world population lives in the area of South Asia.
This phenomenon is been observed despite the fact that the states undoubtedly have all the technological and other means what are necessary for the effectively responding to this serious problem. While the illiteracy affects on the life of one billion people, at the same time, the bourgeoisie class and the governments, choose to spend huge amounts in their armies instead of the strengthening of their education system. In several cases the army budget exceed 2% of the countries’ GDP.
The education must be an inalienable right and it is a priority of the WFTU. In this direction the WFTU sectoral organization of teachers (FISE) and its 18th congress which is going to take place on 4-5 of March 2018 will discuss about the further measures that the international class oriented trade union movement will take to respond on the illiteracy phenomenon.
The Secretariat