International Literacy Day 2021

Around the world, International Literacy Day (ILD) celebrations have taken place annually on September 8th since 1967 to emphasize the importance of literacy in advancing a more literate and sustainable society and to increase the public's awareness of this issue. Even after progress is made, literacy challenges remain, with the least amount of literacy skills among 773 million young people and adults.

A brief history of International Literacy Day:

As part of raising awareness and reminding people of literacy's importance as part of human dignity and rights, UNESCO declared September 8 as "International Literacy Day." The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO, in 1966 established International Literacy Day "to highlight the importance of literacy as a vital means of eradicating illiteracy. This day was also incorporated in the 2015 Sustainable Development Goals on Education.

UNESCO's Director-General sent the following message:

"As we celebrate International Literacy Day, UNESCO would like to invite all actors around the world, in the field of education and beyond, to mobilize for the literacy of young people, adults and women. So that they, too, can have the right to dream and be free." — Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General, on the occasion of International Literacy Day

Celebration on the International Literacy Day (ILD) in 2021:

The theme for International Literacy Day (ILD) 2021 is "Literacy for a human-centred recovery: Narrowing the digital divide".

At an unprecedented level of disruption, the COVID-19 crisis is causing disruption in the education of children, young people, and adults. It has also exacerbated pre-existing inequalities in access to meaningful literacy learning opportunities, disproportionately affecting 773 million kids and adults who do not read or write. Numerous literacy programs have had to suspend their usual methods of operation since many initial national responses plans overlooked youth and adult literacy.

There have been efforts made to continue learning, including through distance learning as well as in-person learning, even in times of global crisis.  There are, however, disparities in access to literacy learning opportunities. Additionally, the rapid change to distance learning has brought attention to the persisting digital divide, including challenges connected to connectivity, infrastructure, and the ability to use technology, as well as those connected to access to power, which limits the options students have for learning.  

However, the pandemic raised awareness about the necessity of literacy. Literacy is a critical component of the right to education, but it also enhances the lives of individuals, providing them with the tools to choose a life worth living. As well as driving sustainable development, it makes the world a better place. As defined by Sustainable Development Goal 4, literacy is a critical element of education and lifelong learning. To recover from the COVID-19 crisis in a human-centred manner, literacy is essential.

Literacy can assist in the development of a strong foundation for human-centred recovery, with a special focus on literacy and digital skills, which are necessary for nonliterate youth and adults. Furthermore, technology-enabled literacy learning will examine what makes the process inclusive and meaningful to all students. ILD2021 will provide a forum for reimagining literacy teaching and learning in the future, both within and beyond macro contexts such as the pandemic.

Embracing diverse solutions for distance, face-to-face and hybrid learning for literacy:

During the pandemic, many countries implemented a mix of technological solutions - low-tech, no-tech, and high-tech in an effort to maintain continuity of learning and reach out to people who would otherwise have had limited learning possibilities nearby.

Integration of learning of reading and writing skills and digital skills:

As more learning content integrates digital skills into content for literacy classes, it is increasingly important for learners to be prepared to thrive in a digital world. Reading and writing skills, in combination with technology-enhanced literacy programs, enable learners to maximize their potential as readers and writers. The opportunity to learn more.

Quality of technology-enabled literacy learning:

Learning malfunctions can't be fixed by technology. In addition to educators and materials, learners' motivation, life circumstances, contexts, and cultures also play a crucial role in literacy education.

Equitable and inclusive access to technology-enabled literacy programmes:

It takes a concerted effort on both the inside and outside of the system to make technology-driven literacy programmes accessible to all. As a result of the education sector, nonliterate youth and adults are facing cross-sectoral disadvantages. In order to enable technology-enabled literacy learning, governance must be built around partnerships between various education stakeholders and non-education sectors. Multistakeholder initiatives are exemplified. The government has a duty to protect the privacy, health, and safety of students, as well as to ensure the quality of the education they receive.

Promoting youth and adult literacy as an integral part of national lifelong learning policies and systems:

By further integrating youth and adult literacy, national lifelong learning policies and systems can be enhanced to benefit from system-wide approaches and cross-sectoral collaboration, including that between the sub-sectors of ‘adult literacy, learning and education and basic education. Such collaboration could facilitate intergenerational learning and development of a sector-wide digital platform for technology-enhanced learning, recognition, validation, accreditation and certification of skills, monitoring and information management.

Coordinated and sustained collective support, advocacy, and knowledge management:

Several global and regional initiatives and platforms can help to accelerate efforts to support literacy, including the SDG Education 2030 coordination structures, the Global Alliance for Literacy within the Lifelong Learning Framework (GAL), the Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC), the Global Alliance to Monitor Learning (GAML), the Global Education Coalition (GEC), UNESCO Chairs, the Global Partnership for Education, Education Cannot Wait and the International Financing Facility for Education.

What You can do on International Literacy Day 2021:

Let's find out how you can participate in reducing the challenge of illiteracy on World Literacy Day by learning about some of the ways you can promote literacy at a local level -

• NGOs and non-profit organizations that support literacy might be familiar to you. By donating money to them, you can help enhance their education programs.
• Contributing to small libraries doesn't have to be in the form of money alone, however. You can also donate books. You will play a crucial role in increasing educational opportunities by donating books to libraries. If you would like to donate used books to your neighbourhood library (street library), you may do so here. I think it's an excellent method for promoting literacy at the local level.
• Encourage the local kids to go to school by providing them with stationery items, uniforms, and food. Thus, their morale will be boosted, and in turn, their literacy will be enhanced. It isn't just about money when it comes to donations.
• Teaching event: Volunteer in your community's literacy events. Volunteering to read aloud to young children is a great way to develop early literacy and social skills. It won't take much for the literacy rate to rise with your one small act of kindness.
• Involve your community in organizing a book club. To promote literacy and interest among local kids, choose from an array of interesting, novel topics, and books to discuss.

UNESCO's official website provides the source material for this Blog.

Quotes for International Literacy Day (ILD) 2021:

• Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather make a man a cleverer devil — CS Lewis
• The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education — Martin Luther King Jr
• Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire — WB Yeats
• "The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." - B.B. King
• Education is the most powerful weapon for changing the world — Nelson Mandela
• "You educate a man; you educate a man. You educate a woman; you educate a generation." - Brigham Young
• "Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope." - Kofi Annan
• Education can open a whole new world for you to discover, revive, and invent. My best wishes for International Literacy Day.
• Upon the subject of education… I can only say that I view it as the most important subject which we as a people may be engaged in — Abraham Lincoln
• We need to make the world a better place. Every member of your family should be educated. Greetings on International Literacy Day 2021!
• A better society begins with literacy as education is the foundation of every society. It's World Literacy Day today!
• With our continuous hard work, we can attain our country's dream of complete literacy. On International Literacy Day, I wish you all the best.