Agenzia Fides

Santo Domingo (Agenzia Fides) - In an editorial dedicated to the National Campaign for Literacy published by "Camino", the National Catholic weekly of the Archdiocese of Santo Domingo, the Dominican Catholic Church welcomes the initiative of the government regarding 850 thousand people. "Every Dominican who loves his country must contribute to the victory against illiteracy," is what is read in the editorial, which then encourages the 50,000 volunteers who have direct responsibility to accompany people interested in the 75 000 training centers scattered throughout the national territory. "We are waiting from the national Community total dedication to this noble cause. No one can be kept out with excuses regarding a political, personnel purpose, or for any other reason that would prevent the unjustified realization of this mission which is so important and necessary " says the editorial.
According to the note sent to Fides Agency by the Archdiocese, this campaign began on January 7, in the context of the celebrations of the bicentennial of the birth of Juan Pablo Duarte, founder of the nation. According to data collected by Fides, illiteracy in the Dominican Republic comprises about 25% of the population, with a difference between the city compared to rural areas and the south of the country. In the province of Elías Piña, for example, 30.5% of the population cannot read or write. The Enriquillo region (provinces of Independencia, Barahona, Pedernales and Baoruco) registers 14.7% of illiterates. The capital city, Santo Domingo, has only 5.3% of illiterates. School drop-out is more frequent in rural areas than in cities. The Dominican Republic has 9,445.281 inhabitants, according to data from the December 2010 IX National Census (CE) (Agenzia Fides 14/01/2013)