KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Women Affairs Department (Jhewa) plans to introduce a programme to address illiteracy among women in the state, especially in rural areas.
Jhewa director Masnah Mat Salleh said although the number concerning women with literacy issues in Sabah was small, efforts to identify those who required assistance was crucial to ensure a well-rounded developed state.
“Of course, the government is spending lots of money for education, but there is no doubt that there might be some who are left behind and we want to help those with literacy problems,” she said when met by reporters after a gathering between Jhewa and the media here yesterday.
Despite having funds for the programme, Masnah said Jhewa experienced capacity constraints and hoped non-government organisations (NGOs) could come forward to lend a hand in implementing it.
She said improving literacy among women, especially single mothers and the poor, would enable the government to have better success rates in its development programmes, especially in lifting the people out of poverty through entrepreneurship.
She also hoped the matter could be given attention during the mid-term review of the 11th Malaysia Plan so that further efforts could be carried out to ensure those with literacy problems could be helped out.