Adult Education Offers Options to Iranian Women
AHVAZ, Islamic Republic of Iran - In spite of rich oil resources, this area bordering Iraq is one of the poorest and least developed provinces in Iran. Its inhabitants earn far less than the national average of about $400 per person and unemployment is high.
Young people are migrating from rural areas to Ahvaz (population 750,000) in search of work. But even though the city has become a major supply and distributing center for the oil fields that lie to the north, many young people still have trouble finding good jobs.
In a rectangular courtyard that was once a garden, dozens of women - from teenagers to grandmothers - have books open and hands raised. Further back, two women beat out dough to make traditional flat bread over a gas fire. Down the hall, several others weave a carpet at a large loom. Except for the girls under 13 in their colorful smocks, all the women are covered from head to toe in black.
Twenty-seven-year old Nabieh has been coming to the center for three years now. In that time, she learned to read and write and took sewing and business classes. Through the center she was able to take out a small loan to buy a sewing machine and start a small tailoring business. All of this has built her confidence and given her more optimism about the future.
"Now, I know that if I keep up with my education, my daughter will have someone to help her with her homework, and she will be able to help in my business as well," said Nabieh. The new business provides a significant addition to the household income - Nabieh's husband works only part-time at a local factory. Her tailoring business brought in $60 last month, enough to make her loan payment and pay many of the family's basic living expenses. But she dreams of something more: a small shop of her own.
The Community Learning Center is part of a major adult education program called the Literacy Movement Organization. Its goal is to multiply Nabieh's succss across communities, especially those in rural and underdeveloped areas, and throughout the country. Designed especially for those who never learned to read and write the program is credited with much of the country's success in reducing illiteracy from 52% in 1976 to just over 6%, at the last count in 2002. The movement has established over 2,000 community learning centers across the country,employed about 55,000 instructors and provided literacy classes to a million people, men as well as women. The initiative pays particular attention to the needs of women who head households.
"We listen to our clients - that's how we learn what they need and how we can help them," said Mohammed Mehdizadeh, DGP of Educational Affairs. "Of course, before a person can become skilled, they first need to learn to read and write."
Decades ago, Iran's leaders recognized that the country's rapid population growth was outpacing its ability to provide for its people. With technical support from UNFPA, literacy and family planning initiatives were implemented by the government. The Fund's specific contributions to the Literacy Movement Organization include training of more than 7,000 teachers, development of a nine-episode television series on women's health issues (including family planning), and procurement of computers and other equipment.
"We base our approach on their specific needs - we tailor our programming based on what they need for themselves, their families and their communities," said Mehdizadeh. And it is helping Nabieh and thousands of women like her to further their education. Investing in the education of girls and women offers high payoffs in terms of poverty reduction, the educational and health status of the next generation, HIV prevention, infant and maternal health, income-earning prospects, reduced fertility and the elimination of harmful practices.