JINAN, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- Educational programs in Bhutan and Colombia were awarded this year's UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy on Thursday in Qufu, the hometown of the great thinker and educator, located in east China's Shandong Province.

　　Bhutan's Non-formal and Continuing Education Program, focused primarily on rural communities and women, has been recognized as a model for developing countries, according to the website of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

　　The program has expanded to over 950 centers with over 13,000 learners annually in the rugged, mountainous South Asian country.

　　The Interactive System of Colombia offers out-of-school basic education through interactive teaching and information communication technologies (ICTs) in 1,200 interactive classrooms equipped with laptops, projectors and TVs.

　　The program has been replicated in 24 sites and reached 300,000 people since 2006, the website said.

　　The Confucius Prize for Literacy was established in 2005. It recognizes the activities of outstanding individuals, governments or governmental agencies and NGOs whose literacy work serves rural adults and out-of-school youth, particularly women and girls.

　　Fourteen people and organizations have received this prize, the first international prize named after a Chinese, according to Du Yue, secretary general of the National Commission of the People's Republic of China for UNESCO.

　　The award ceremony was held at the opening of the China Qufu International Confucius Cultural Festival, an event that organizers hope to use as an occasion for the promotion of Confucianism and local culture.

　　A conference on Confucian studies and a grand sacrificial ritual to observe the ancient philosopher's 2,563rd birthday will also be held during the festival, organizers said.

　　At Thursday's opening ceremony, eight foreigners were also conferred the Confucius Friendship Prize by the municipal government of Jining, which administers Qufu.