Over 680,000 refugees, mostly Afghans, have been covered by the Literacy Movement Organization, increasing the rate of literacy among them from 6% in 1985 to 62% in 2011, said LMO Head Ali Baqerzadeh. “In 2015 alone, nearly 25,000 refugees were brought under coverage, more than 78% of whom were women,” he said at a conference on “Educational Equality and Development” at Tehran’s Sharif University, Mehr News Agency reported. Around $1.8 billion has been spent on literacy programs for refugees so far. During the 2011-2015 period, a total of 52,351 refugees acquired literacy on a budget of $7.4 million. Only 6% of this amount was contributed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. “During these years, financial aid from international organizations has been less than 5% of the fiscal amount allocated by the Islamic Republic,” Baqerzadeh noted.
