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promotion and protection of rural women's
rights and interests. The former State Education Commission
and the ACWF jointly established a "Women's Anti-illiteracy
Award," which is given out once every two years to working
units and individuals who make outstanding contributions to
the elimination of illiteracy among women.
Under the efforts of the Government's educational
departments and various social organizations, China's illiteracy
rate among women has dropped dramatically. Women make up 62
percent of the 50.4 million people who shook off illiteracy
between 1990 and 2002. The gap between the illiteracy rates
of men and women narrowed from 19 percent in 1990 to 8.5 percent
in 2000. The number of illiterate young and middle-aged women
dropped form 44.43 million in 1990 to 15.03 million in 2000.
The illiteracy rate of the country's young and middle-aged
population dropped from 14.78 percent in 1990 to 4.21 percent
in 2000. The decrease of female illiteracy surpasses the average
national decline of illiteracy. Thanks to the active role
the women's federations have played in eliminating women illiteracy,
in 1995 the UNESCO awarded the King Sejong Literacy Prize
to the ACWF.
In 2002 there were still 55 million illiterate women,
accounting for 70 percent of the total illiterate population.
Educational departments attach great importance to the work
of eliminating female illiteracy. A responsibility system
was set up to clarify the duty of each village and each individual
in the work of illiteracy elimination. Education departments
set up national anti-illiteracy projects among women and the
ethnic
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