Nearly every adult in Yangon Region can read, according to a recent survey organised by the regional education office.
The finding that 99.89 percent of the adult residents in the commercial capital are literate was announced at the 50th International Literacy Ceremony, held at Basic Education High School 4 in Ahlone township on September 9.
This is in contrast to the country as a whole, where the illiteracy rate is around 8pc, with 3.5 million Myanmar citizens aged 15 and above unable to read, Minister of Education U Myo Thein Gyi said at an event in Nay Pyi Taw in July.
The Yangon literacy rate was determined by surveys conducted by the Yangon Regional Education office earlier this year. They spoke with people at courses aimed at eradicating illiteracy between April 1 and May 15.
In Myanmar, the basic literacy movement started in 1964 and received literacy awards from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1971 and 1983.
Over the past 25 years, from 1990 to 2015, youth illiteracy rates fell 25pc, according to UNESCO.
Worldwide, there are 750 million people who cannot read or write, according to UNESCO.
About 2.7 million Myanmar kids between five and 16 years old do not go to school or have dropped out, U Myo Thein Gyi said in July.
Source: The Myanmar Times
