Announcement of World Bank Loan to Promote Adult Literacy in Morocco on September 26, 2002

World Bank Loan to Promote Adult Literacy in Morocco Media Contact: In Washington: Sereen Juma 1 (202) 473-7199 e-mail: sjuma@worldbank.org WASHINGTON, September 26, 2002—The World Bank today approved a Learning and Innovation Loan (LIL) in the amount of USD $4 million to support the Government of Morocco in boosting adult literacy in communities and in the workplace. The proportion of the adult population with a low literacy level is over 50 percent, and the Government of Morocco recently set a target to reduce adult illiteracy by one-half by 2010. In response to Morocco’s efforts to meet this target, this initiative will test new approaches to literacy learning and program management, which if proven effective, will enable the government to implement nationwide programs that result in lasting literacy outcomes. The Government of Morocco offers four literacy programs, which have enrolled more than one million adults aged sixteen and above since 1995. Two of the programs are provided through government agencies, one in cooperation with the private sector and one in partnership with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). The LIL will concentrate support on the NGO program where enrollment is highest and which addresses the needs of the poorest population, particularly women and girls in rural areas. “This project offers the Moroccan Government the opportunity to work alongside local literacy providers, in communities and in the workplace, to explore new ways of teaching and learning and new ways of managing programs in an increasingly decentralized environment,” said Jeffrey Waite, the World Bank’s Senior Education Specialist for the Middle East and North Africa region. “In this way, the Government aims to find cost-effective methods for increasing literacy levels, thereby improving social and economic opportunities for currently disadvantaged Moroccans.” The LIL falls in line with the World Bank’s country assistance strategy for Morocco, which focuses on alleviating poverty, with a special focus on rural areas, through policies that support human development.