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Yemen

Answer

Improving female literacy rates is one of the main objectives of the Government of Yemen's Basic Education Development Strategy. Currently 73.5 per cent. of Yemeni women are illiterate, one of the highest illiteracy rates in the world. The Department for International Development (DFID) is providing £15 million over five years to support this strategy through a project co-funded with the World Bank and other donors. The project aims to increase the number of girls enrolled in basic education by 23 per cent. and the number of girls completing basic education by 30 per cent. by 2010. This will be done by helping increase girls' access to school, including by providing more girls only classrooms and female teachers.To help keep girls in school, the project will enable parents to have greater involvement in school management, and provide community based adult literacy classes, as evidence shows that adult literacy has a major impact on pupil attendance and performance. The project also aims to improve the quality of education through improvements to teacher training, curriculum development, and education policy, planning, and implementation. This should contribute to better learning outcomes, including higher rates of female literacy.DFID is also providing £12 million to the Yemen Social Fund for Development (SFD) over four years which provides community level development. Approximately half of the SFD's funds are used to improve access to and quality of education, with a strong focus on girls education.DFID has also funded Yemeni participation in regional adult literacy workshops in Algeria and Cairo as part of the G8-Broader Middle East Partnership for Progress that has adult literacy as one of its key themes.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

43887; 441 c1748-9W

Session

2005-06

Subjects

Development aid Women Education Literacy Yemen Basic skills

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk