UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy The Education Ministry in Morocco has been awarded the UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy – a prize that recognises the efforts the government put in to fight illiteracy, particularly among women. The Education Ministry revealed that the illiteracy rate has dropped from 43 percent in 2004 to 30 percent in 2011.
This year 723, 000 people benefited from the Moroccan Literacy programme – more than 6 million people took part in the programme in the last ten years. 80 percent of the participants were women, while 50% were from rural areas.
The United Nations Organisation for Education, Science and Culture – UNESCO is committed to supporting effective policies and programs of literacy. The organisation grants awards in recognition of the activities undertaken to individual, organisations of governments working in the field of adult literacy.
The Confucius Prize for Literacy was established in 2005 to honour the memory of the great Chinese philosopher Confucius. The two winners receive $20 000, a silver medal and a certificate. The Confucius Literacy prize also grants a visit to study to the sites of the literacy projects in China.
The winners are selected by an international committee that is appointed by the Director General of UNESCO. This committee is held once a year at the organisation\'s headquarters in Paris. The winners receive their prizes usually at the organisation’s headquarters in Paris on the International Literacy day, September 8.