DUBAI: SHARING his concern over the issue of illiteracy plaguing Muslim nations, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has warned of possible bleak results.
“Today, too few Muslims are able to read or write, as stated by the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO), with illiteracy rates in some Muslim countries reaching 40 per cent for men and 65 per cent for women,” he said in a special address during the opening session of the 10th World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) here yesterday.
The bleak results, he said, meant that many Muslims missed out on opportunities and many Muslim nations missed out on their greatest asset — their people.
“By prioritising education throughout life, we can realise the potential of our people, reduce poverty, raise living standards and unlock 21st-century growth.
“We need new and innovative partnerships between educators, governments, and private and third sectors to make good the gap.
“The starting point is literacy as the foundation for success. According to the World Literacy Foundation, illiteracy costs the world economy more than US$1 trillion (RM3.27 trillion) a year.
“But, the human cost is greater still — a child born to a literate mother is 50 per cent more likely to live past the age of 5.”
Present were Vice-President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Al Maktoum, Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev and WIEF Foundation chairman Tun Musa Hitam.
Najib, who was accompanied by his wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, called on the ummah to rally behind ISESCO’s call to employ all means in ensuring Muslims could read, write and contribute to economic and social development.
“We should follow the example of Arab states, where adult literacy has risen by 20 per cent in the past 20 years, or Southeast Asian nations, where literacy rates are consistently above 90 per cent.”
He said alongside efforts to improve adult and youth literacy, Muslim nations should continue to focus their policies and resources on schooling.
Najib reminded the audience of one of the world’s most courageous education activists, Nobel Peace laureate Malala Yousafzai, a Muslim who had directed global attention to the struggles that some girls still faced in getting access to education.
“We should honour her inspiring courage, and continue to focus on providing quality primary and secondary education to all our citizens, preventing young people from dropping out of school and working with countries with sizeable Muslim minorities to understand why some Muslim communities are underachieving, while others are flourishing.”
With technology spreading into the workplace and creating new sectors and careers, countries were competing to create strong knowledge-driven economies, he said.
“It includes scientific knowledge, where countries like Turkey and Iran have made significant leaps forward.
“By investing in research and supporting scientific study, countries like Egypt and Saudi Arabia have built a strong reputation and (gotten) stronger results.”
Najib urged the ummah to embrace a culture of lifelong learning.
“It includes postgraduate and vocational programmes in specialty areas. Malaysia, which issued the world’s first sovereign sukuk, has made a strategic decision in focusing on Islamic finance, with institutions and courses designed to train professionals in this fast-growing sector.”
By making education a priority from the early years to later in life, Najib said, “we can unlock new opportunities for our people, new human resources for our businesses and new growth for our nations”.
He said a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation report had stated that each year of additional schooling increased a person’s earnings by up to 10 per cent and gross domestic product growth by 0.37 per cent.
Education, he said, was central to the ummah’s history.
“For centuries, Muslims had taken the lead in the world of learning. But despite notable successes, we did not turn the strong start into a lasting legacy.”