Reading & Literacy

President, First Lady Back Global Literacy to Fight ‘Hopelessness’

By Mary Ann Zehr — September 26, 2006 2 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

President Bush said last week that ensuring that people can read and write is one way to combat poverty and “radicalism” in the world.

“One reason radicals are able to recruit young men, for example, to become suicide bombers, is because of hopelessness,” the president said here at a White House-sponsored conference on global literacy. “One way to defeat hopelessness is through literacy—is to giving people the fantastic hope that comes by being able to read and realize dreams.”

Mr. Bush was a surprise participant at the Sept. 18 conference hosted by first lady Laura Bush, which featured efforts to combat illiteracy around the world. At the conference, Mrs. Bush announced a $1 million donation by the U.S. government to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO, for a program to assess literacy in developing countries.

Mrs. Bush highlighted the fact that two-thirds of the 771 million adults in the world who cannot read are women, and that 85 percent of illiterate people live in only 35 countries.

“By investing in literacy instruction for women and girls now, governments ensure that future generations will enjoy the benefits of reading,” she told 250 conference attendees gathered at the New York City Public Library. “Women who can read are much more likely to be advocates for their children’s education.”

The conference was attended by 30 first ladies of foreign countries and 39 foreign ministers of education, as well as by university presidents, corporate executives, and officials of international-development agencies. Mrs. Bush hosted the conference in partnership with the Department of State, the Department of Education, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and UNESCO. Invitations were extended particularly to countries with high rates of illiteracy or very large populations.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings participated in the conference.

Afghan Experience

President Bush, who was in New York City along with other world leaders for last week’s opening of the United Nations General Assembly, cited the U.S.-backed Women’s Teacher Training Institute in Kabul, Afghanistan, as “one of the most, I guess, heartwarming literacy initiatives I have witnessed as president.”

The institute was established after the 2001 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan to oust the Taliban regime in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The extremist-Muslim government had barred girls from attending school.

“This young democracy will survive,” Mr. Bush said of Afghanistan. “And one of the reasons it will survive is because of the committed efforts by a lot of folks, not just the United States, but by people around the world to help the brave educational entrepreneurs that recognize hope and peace come about because of education.”

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the September 27, 2006 edition of Education Week as President, First Lady Back Global Literacy To Fight ‘Hopelessness’

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Webinar
(Re)Focus on Dyslexia: Moving Beyond Diagnosis & Toward Transformation
Move beyond dyslexia diagnoses & focus on effective literacy instruction for ALL students. Join us to learn research-based strategies that benefit learners in PreK-8.
Content provided by EPS Learning
Classroom Technology Live Online Discussion A Seat at the Table: Is AI Out to Take Your Job or Help You Do It Better?
With all of the uncertainty K-12 educators have around what AI means might mean for the future, how can the field best prepare young people for an AI-powered future?
Special Education K-12 Essentials Forum Understanding Learning Differences
Join this free virtual event for insights that will help educators better understand and support students with learning differences.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Reading & Literacy How the Largest School District Is Adjusting to the Science of Reading
Shifting practice in New York City, a balanced literacy stronghold, poses special challenges.
11 min read
Marissa Bateman, a 2nd grade teacher at P.S. 107 in Brooklyn, leads students through a lesson using the Wit and Wisdom reading curriculum on June 11, 2024, in New York City.
Marissa Bateman, a 2nd grade teacher at P.S. 107 in Brooklyn, leads students through a lesson using the Wit & Wisdom reading curriculum on June 11, 2024, in New York City. The Big Apple's reading mandate just entered its second year.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
Reading & Literacy Teachers Online Sound Off on the 'Science of Reading'
Teachers take to social media to share their issues and successes with the “science of reading”.
2 min read
Teacher working with young schoolgirl at her desk in class
iStock / Getty Images Plus
Reading & Literacy Spotlight Spotlight on Reading & Literacy
This Spotlight will help you learn how classroom conversations can boost reading proficiency, examine literacy retention policies, and more.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Whitepaper
The Science of Reading: Igniting Reading Joy in the Digital Age
By integrating the Science of Reading with digital tools, educators can create the sustained engagement needed to build and enhance reading
Content provided by Reading Eggs