Bolivia declared illiteracy free

Bolivian President Evo Morales has declared the Andean nation to be free from illiteracy, according to a December 22 Granma report.

This makes Bolivia the third Latin American nation to eradicate illiteracy, after Cuba and Venezuela — both of whom assisted Bolivia in running the same sort of government-funded literacy programs that were successful in their countries.

Granma reported that according Morales, "the eradication of this social ill constitutes a triumph over colonialism, which rejected that social commitment".

Morales stated it was an indication of "commitment to continue driving forward on education and other social project".

Morales emphasised that "almost 30,000 of those who have learned how to read received instruction in their indigenous languages, Quechua and Aymara", Granma reported.

On January 6, Prensa Latina reported that Morales had stated his government's intention to continue with the project of nationalising strategic industries.

"We already regained the hydrocarbons, the telecommunications and we will go ahead with the effort to give Bolivians all what was put out to tender and given away by neoliberals", Morales stated at an indigenous ceremony.

He identified electricity, railroads and other sectors as "close to being back in the hands of the people", according to PL.

From GLW issue 779