Functional literacy in the context of Arab educational policies

The study focuses on the challenges of Arab education policies for the development of functional literacy. In particular, the present article touches upon the issue of the relationship between the language of tuition in educational institutions and the educational attainment of national school leavers in the region in question is examined. The role of the pan-Arabic literary language, colloquial dialects as well as European languages in the implementation of school curricula in Arab countries is assessed. The specificity of the methodology of teaching literacy in secondary schools of the Middle East and North Africa is considered. The key factors influencing the low efficiency of school education in Arab countries are analyzed. The article provides arguments in favor of teaching children literacy in their native language / mother-tongues. The study also examines the statistical data of international systems assessing functional literacy in the Arab countries, indicating the need for a comprehensive and systematic solution to the problems of schooling in the region.