"Supporting the continuing education of people graduating from literacy programs is also supporting their freedom," said Maria Dolores del Rio, director of the National Institute for Adult Education of Mexico, at the third day of the Ibero-American Congress on Literacy and Basic Education for Youth and Adults taking place in Havana.

Del Rio gave a detailed explanation of the literacy work in Mexico where 10 million adults did not finish elementary school and 17 million did not complete junior high.

MARIA DOLORES DEL RIO, DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR ADULT EDUCATION OF MEXICO AND JOSE RAMON FERNANDEZ, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS DURING THE THIRD DAY OF THE CONGRESS.

The education official said the educational system in Mexico must respect the diversity of the country and that the greatest challenge of her government is to teach in the 25 different indigenous languages. Del Rio also noted the recent proposal by President Felipe Calderon for a Mexico without backwardness, taking into account the characteristics of each state. She said 70,000 advisors are involved in the effort and that more but funds will be budgeted. Del Rio also praised the results of the "Yes I can" literacy teaching method.

Those outside the educational system in Mexico are poor people, people with disabilities and the historically excluded indigenous populations. The greatest challenge facing the country is to encourage them to study, which would increase possibilities for development and equaling opportunities for participation in decision-making, said Del Rio. The goal for 2012 is to have taught a million adults to read and write and have at least 2.8 million dropouts returning to the classroom and finishing their high school.

In a round table of Education ministers and representatives of international organizations, the participants discussed initiatives for advancing the Ibero-American Literacy Plan for young people and adults, that hopes to offer basic education to 34 million illiterate of the region before 2015. Cuban Minister of Education Ena Elsa Velazquez Cobiella expressed the island’s commitment to continue helping with the "Yes I Can" method.

Thursday marks the final session of the literacy and basic education congress at the Havana Convention Center with the presence of 1,000 delegates from 30 countries