30 pc of young people in disaster-stricken countries are illiterate: UNICEF

UNICEF has said, nearly 30 percent of young people between the ages of 15 and 24 in countries affected by conflict and disaster are illiterate, triple the global rate. 

The UN children's agency said in a new study that among these 59 million young people, girls are at the biggest disadvantage when it comes to getting an education.It said, four impoverished African countries with a long history of instability had the



highest rates of young people unable to read or write -- Niger with 76 percent, Chad with 69 percent, South Sudan with 68 percent and the Central African Republic with 64 percent.

UNICEF's new executive director, Henrietta Fore said these numbers are a stark reminder of the tragic impact that crises have on children's education, their futures, and the stability and growth of their economies and societies.