Abdulrahman Abdul Rahman

Sudanese educator who built Africa's first nationwide literacy program

Abdulrahman Abdul Rahman (1928-2012) was the visionary behind Sudan's 1960s literacy campaign that taught 1 million adults to read within five years - a feat unmatched in Africa at the time. Born in Omdurman to a family of Quranic scholars, he combined traditional Islamic education with modern pedagogy after studying at Al-Azhar University and Columbia University's Teachers College.

In 1962, he launched the National Adult Education Initiative, using mobile schools mounted on camels and trucks to reach remote desert communities. His innovative 'storytelling literacy' method used local oral traditions to teach reading, achieving 85% retention rates. By 1970, Sudan's literacy rate had jumped from 20% to 45%, earning UNESCO's 1971 Global Literacy Prize.

Rahman's 1973 book Education Without Borders inspired similar programs across the Sahel region. He established the first teacher training college for women in Khartoum (1968), graduating 2,000 female educators by 1975. His advocacy led to Sudan's 1972 law mandating free primary education for all children.

Despite political upheavals, he continued his work through the 1980s famine, creating food-for-education programs that saved thousands of children. His memoir Teaching the Desert to Read (1998) remains a classic in adult education literature. The Abdul Rahman Literacy Prize now honors global literacy innovators annually.