Multa Fidrus, Tangerang – The number of illiterate people in Tangerang regency has jumped dramatically within the past two years, an education official claims.

Education agency head Muhyi Syarifudin said the agency had measured a rapid increase in illiterate people from 2,673 in 2004 to 190,123 this year.

When asked to explain the huge increase, Muhyi said it was likely to be a result of people's reluctance to admit they could not read or write and financial difficulties preventing them from attending schools. "The real figure could be twice that," he told The Jakarta Post last week.

To eradicate illiteracy the regency needs at least Rp 66 billion (US$7.33 million), Muhyi said, adding that the administration could only allocate Rp 600 million from its budget to lay out a plan. With limited funds, the agency is aiming to reduce the number to 120,000 by 2008.

It will provide tutors and learning tools, employing the assistance of community centers and 208 of its employees, who will identify the areas of greatest need in the regency.

"We will request financial assistance from the central government and Banten province... Teaching people to read and write is the first step. After that they'll need skills training," Muhyi said.

The rise in the illiteracy rate was reported not long after President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono awarded the regency earlier this year for its achievement in reducing the number of illiterate people from 17,514 to 2,673 in 2004.