On September 8, the nation and the world will celebrate International Literacy Day, a declaration first proclaimed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1965. UNESCO will use this year’s theme, The Power of Literacy, to highlight the empowering role of literacy and its importance for participation, citizenship and social development. The observance, according to UNESCO, will also serve as a reminder to the international community of the status of literacy and adult learning globally.
Today one in five adults is still not literate and two-thirds of them are women while 75 million children are out of school. Since its founding in 1946, UNESCO has been at the forefront of global literacy efforts and is dedicated to keeping literacy high on national, regional and international agendas. However, with some 776 million adults lacking minimum literacy skills, literacy for all remains an elusive target.
Today one in five adults is still not literate and two-thirds of them are women while 75 million children are out of school. Since its founding in 1946, UNESCO has been at the forefront of global literacy efforts and is dedicated to keeping literacy high on national, regional and international agendas. However, with some 776 million adults lacking minimum literacy skills, literacy for all remains an elusive target.
