Rural literacy levels remain low in Iraq, UNESCO says

As a result of two decades of war and economic hardship, Iraqi schools have fallen into disrepair, enrollment has dropped, and literacy levels have stagnated, agencies say. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization estimates literacy rates to be less than 60%, or 6 million illiterate Iraqi adults. Only 37% of rural women can read, and only 30% of Iraqi girls of high school age are enrolled in school, compared with 42% of boys. Read more at the IRIN website.