São Paulo, 12/11/2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - Minister of Education, Cristovam Buarque, reports that the federal government has exceeded its 2003 literacy target. "The goal was to teach three million Brazilian adults to read and write in 2003. We have now put 3.7 million through literacy courses. Two million went through courses run by the government, and the rest studied in courses run by volunteer organizations and NGOs.

Buarque said the program has moved out of the government sphere and is now a part of civil society. "This is no longer a Lula administration program. It is now more like a social movement. Housewives are learning to read in classes that take place in the building where they live. You could call them 'literacy condos,' and companies are teaching their employees to read in classes in the workplace," said the minister. (AB)