China''s economic
boom has caused
illiteracy rates to soar as many young rural poor drop
out of school to
work in fast-growing cities, a study has found.
Over the last five
years, the number of Chinese who cannot read and write grew by 30
million to 116 million, wiping out years of gains against
illiteracy,
the China Daily reported on Monday.
bodyVariable350="Htmlphcontrol1_lblError";
Literacy in China is defined as someone who can read and write 1,500 Chinese characters.
College graduates are required to know 7,000 to 10,000 characters.
bodyVariable300="Htmlphcontrol2_lblError";
Previously the
simplification of Chinese characters and
education campaigns launched
by the government had helped to steadily raise literacy levels among
adults.
Gao Xuegui, an
education ministry official who focuses on illiteracy, said the main
reason for the U-turn was that many young rural poor were dropping out
of school in order to find work in the cities, the China Daily said
reported.
"The situation is worrying," he said. "Illiteracy is not only a matter of education, but also has a great social impact."
Migrant workers in China''s urban centres do not have access to public education, healthcare and other basic social services.
Gao said another
reason for the drop was a lack of adequate funding, and the fact that
earlier successes in fighting illiteracy had led some local governments
to abandon their literacy programmes.