Increased Literacy

	It is of the conditions of the Hour that the learning will be raised up and illiteracy will be prevalent... (Mishkat-ul-Masabih, vol.4, no 58)

A significant difference that distinguishes the twentieth and the twenty-first centuries from previous ages is the advance in literacy. In earlier times, this ability was restrictedto a particular group of privileged people, whereas, toward the end of the twentieth century, UNESCO and other government and private organizations organized worldwide campaigns to promote literacy. This mobilization of educational resources, with its attendant technological innovations and humanitarian services, has born great fruit, for according to one UNESCO report, the average literacy rate in 2003 was 84%.37

This figure is certainly the highest in human history.

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37. UNESCO Statistical Yearbook (1997). Online at: www.education.nic.in/htmlweb/ arhrne.htm.

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