1.2 billion people in the under-developed world are illiterate

New research has found that over 1.2 billion people in the under-developed world cannot read or write their own name. The research was conducted at a Malaysian university by Prof Emeritus Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing.

From this story in the Malaysian New Straits Times, writer Adrian David attended the revealing of the research.

Lim said less than 40 per cent of school-going children in developing countries were enrolled, with 50 per cent of them dropping out after six years.

At the global level, almost one-third of those who were illiterate and three billion of those who lived in abject poverty earning less than US$1 a day, were from the Commonwealth, he said.

Lim said this meant that the Commonwealth had 330 million illiterates and one billion very poor.

Lim was speaking at the Stakeholders Forum of the 17th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers, themed `Making Connections and Building Partnerships: Towards and Beyond Global Education Goals and Targets’ at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

Lim said of the 6.7 billion world population, only 900 million who lived in 57 countries termed as developed or industrialised, were rich.

“In contrast, five billion people live in the developing world of 120 low- and middle-income countries.