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Fighting illiteracy is crucial for a healthy society, says Mayassa

Spreading quality education and eradicating illiteracy are vital in efforts to end violence and instability in the Asian nations, Shaikha Mayassa Bint Hamad Al Thani said.

  • Staff Report
  • Published: 00:00 March 22, 2007
  • Gulf News

  • Image Credit:
  • Shaikha Mayassa during an interview with Al Jazeera.

Dubai: Spreading quality education and eradicating illiteracy are vital in efforts to end violence and instability in the Asian nations, Shaikha Mayassa Bint Hamad Al Thani said.

"I think education is the cornerstone for a healthy society. If you are to have people who can think critically and analytically and take decisions on their country rather than being dictated to by others, it's important for them to be able to think and in order for them to think they need to be able to read and write," said Shaikha Mayassa, daughter of the Qatari Emir, in an interview.

The interview with the Doha-based Al Jazeera TV station, of which excerpts were sent to the press yesterday, will be aired in full tomorrow.

Speaking on the importance of education for society, she continued, "The idea came since my mother, Her Highness Shaikha Moza Bint Nasser Al Misned, was special envoy for Unesco on education so we wanted to be more effective within the region. As you know Asia is a very big continent and we think that a lot of violence and political instability is due to a lack of education and quality education so we focused on literacy. And making sure that children from the age of zero to the age of 18 can read and write," she added.

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