More than 10 million people have learned to read and write through a Cuban program aimed at mature age students, the Cuban government announced on October 26, TeleSUR English reported that day.
The program, Yo Si Puedo (Yes I Can), aims to provide free education to adults who lacked opportunities to learn to read and write as children, with a focus on the poor.
Yo Si Puedo operates in about 30 countries, ranging from Venezuela to Nigeria, Spain and Australia.
The program uses audiovisual tools and experimental techniques to teach students how to read and write quickly. The program is adapted specifically to the geographic areas where it is implemented. Local vocabulary is also used.
Venezuela experienced huge results from the program, where tens of thousands of people have been educated under the initiative. Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez implemented the program in 2003, and by 2005 UNESCO declared the country illiteracy-free.
Cuba itself has one of the highest rates of literacy in Latin America, at about 99.8%.
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