Illiteracy in Riyadh's poorer districts is on the rise, with 35.1 percent of those surveyed deemed illiterate by a report due to be released soon by the Ro'yah Center for Social Studies. The recently completed report, entitled “Residents of Impoverished Districts” and conducted by researcher Turki Al-Shalaqi, surveyed residents on a range health, economic and educational issues and cites 19.8 percent of those interviewed as being “unable to read or write”, describing the figure as “revealing a fall in education levels.” The report describes the families sampled, however, as enjoying “fine health,” with 34.7 percent saying they were in “excellent health” and 38 percent saying they enjoyed “good health.” The reason for this, the report says, is increase in government health facilities in the districts. The survey showed that the greatest concern of residents in poor Riyadh districts – according to 67.3 percent of those surveyed – is the lack of water and frequent cutting off of the water supply. Other complaints centered on poor housing, environmental pollution (garbage and stagnant rainwater), and a poor electricity supply as well as electricity black outs. Family income was described as “sufficient to an extent” for 47.1 percent of the residents, “insufficient” for 38, and “sufficient” for only 14.9 percent. Most of those questioned had monthly incomes of between SR500 and SR1,000. Around 25 percent earned SR2,500, and 5.9 percent had incomes of over SR6,000. The average monthly income of families taking part in the survey was SR3,477. 65.8 percent of those asked said they had cut out certain “essential expenses” due to income constraints, while 62.1 percent of families had been forced to cut back spending in some areas. The quest for other sources of income led 55.7 percent of families to take out loans and 34.2 percent to seek charity. 83.7 percent of those who took part in the survey said they only had one source of income, while the remaining 16.3 percent had extra sources. Of those alternative incomes, 44.1 percent came from house rents, 32.4 percent from using private vehicles as taxis, 17.6 percent from shops' rents, and the remainder from other activities. 61.8 percent declared additional monthly incomes of between SR500 and SR1,000. 14.7 percent acquired over SR2,000.
