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10/02/2004:

"1.3 million benefit from Venezuela-Cuba literacy programme"

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said yesterday that 1.3 million students have graduated from a Cuba-backed literacy programme that has become a banner of his "revolution for the poor."

"This is the path to freedom, it's not just about learning to read and write, it's the first step toward emerging from darkness," said Chavez, speaking at a graduation ceremony in Caracas for 50,000 students.

Almost 39,000 members of Venezuela's indigenous tribes, including Yanomami Indians of the remote Amazon jungle region, have graduated from the year-old programme.

Chavez, a self-proclaimed "revolutionary" and close ally of Cuban President Fidel Castro, vowed to wipe out illiteracy by the end of the current year.

Full Article : jamaicaobserver.com