Mansoura University won Monday the UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy for the year 2024 in the field of literacy and adult education, in partnership with the General Authority for Adult Education. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) awards the prize in cooperation China, with the aim of honouring distinguished initiatives in the field of adult literacy, especially in rural areas. In conjunction with the celebration of International Literacy Day, this international honour comes to confirm the extent of the university's efforts in the field of adult literacy, and its leadership in this field at the regional and international levels, according to a statement issued by Mansoura University.
Established in 2005, with the support of China, the UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy gives special consideration functional literacy, leveraging technological environments, in support of adults in rural areas and out-of-school youth.
Sherif Youssef Khater, President of Mansoura University, said the Mansoura University Literacy Project entitled "Achieving Sustainability and Quality of Life in the Egyptian Countryside," "is an implementation of the political leadership's directives towards building a new republic without illiteracy, and is also a culmination of the strenuous efforts made by the university in the context of its interest in this important file that contributes strongly to achieving comprehensive and sustainable development efforts in the country, and the university's commitment to serving society and promoting environmental development, using all available means and capabilities, and human cadres in this field."
Khater pointed out that the literacy and adult education project at Mansoura University was launched in 2019, in light of the cooperation protocol concluded between the university and the Adult Education Authority, which requires all students of theoretical colleges to eradicate illiteracy of 4 citizens during the four years of study as a basic requirement to obtain a graduation certificate.
Mansoura University's strategy in the project depends on university students and the wide spread of students in rural villages, as the project was able to cover 17 villages and centers in Dakahlia Governorate, after holding 147 programmes to train and qualify student teachers in the project on the philosophy of literacy, teaching methods strategies, psychological characteristics of illiterate adults, and the content of literacy curricula.
The university's winning of the award confirms the great achievement in achieving remarkable progress in reducing illiteracy rates in Dakahlia, as about 143,000 citizens were literate, through holding more than 61,000 educational classes in various villages, according to the statement.
Eid Abdel Wahid, Head of the General Authority for Adult Education, praised the cooperation between the authority and Mansoura University, which opened new horizons for adopting innovative means and mechanisms to eliminate illiteracy, and following up on their performance to reach Dakahleya without illiteracy.
Mansoura University implements various supportive programs and activities to achieve the project's objectives. About 83 awareness convoys have been launched in the villages of Dakahleya over the past years to raise awareness of the importance of eradicating illiteracy, in cooperation with the National Council for Women and the "Decent Life" initiative.
