The absolute priority given by UNESCO to the promotion of universal literacy is understood as a key policy driver shaping the Organization since its inception in 1946. Grounded in human rights, the commitment has taken concrete form in many and diverse ways, but it is as a shaper of ideas that UNESCO's overall contribution is best judged. In…

This report offers a brief account of Iraq's recent mass literacy initiative, considered within the broader context of illiteracy problems throughout the Arab world. The Iraqi experience is noteworthy for both the size and the unique character of the campaign launched by that nation's Arab Ba'ath Socialist regime. (Author/SJL)

The development of the University of Technology in Baghdad, Iraq, is discussed, illustrating how it has adjusted its work to national needs as expressed in national development plans. As industry in Iraq has broadened its scope, the curriculum in the university has widened. (Author/MLW)

Presents overview of developments that have taken place in academic libraries in Iraq and their potential for fulfilling academic community needs. Highlights include educational system, library education, library systems, staff and their status, library services and orientation, library council, library cooperation, professional associations, and…

This report on the International Seminar on Campaigning for Literacy at Udaipur, India is divided into three main parts. Part 1 describes the context and background of the seminar, its specific objectives, and the organization and procedures of the seminar. Part 2 provides an overview of the seminar proceedings. The inaugural statements are…

Review of background and justification of computerization project initiated to automate information work covers design concepts; implementation; and major characteristics of databases (local versions of BIOSIS and INSPEC, union catalog of monographs from Library of Congress/MARC records, union catalog of serials from International Serials Data…

Since Iraq gained independence in the 1930s and particularly since it became a republic in the 1950s and began earning oil revenue, efforts to improve Iraqi education have received increasing attention. By 1984 the educational system had achieved the ability to enroll every child reaching the age of six, and a national campaign to reduce…

The research on which this report is based has aimed at an assessment of the nature of reform of education content and associated processes in developed Western nations as well as in the Arab world. Chapter 1 is designed to clarify the concept of "education content" and to specify processes involved in "content reform," as…

The intention of this report is to create a compact resource which may prove helpful to educators charged with the responsibility of reforming the educational systems and vitalizing the learning experiences for students in the Arab world. Educators in Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States were surveyed. Trends are noted for increased…

The following papers were produced by participants and resource persons on specific issues of planning, management and implementation of literacy and post-literacy strategies: "People's Participation and Mobilization: Characteristics of the Literacy Campaigns in China" (Yanwei); "Strategies for Mobilization and Participation of…

In most of the Arab world, the development of a national education system has been a recent process. Currently, one out of every two Arabs can neither read nor write. This paper focuses on how illiteracy has been dealt with in the country of Iraq. A 1947 survey put total illiteracy of those 15 years and older at 89.1%. In the period following the…