International Literacy Day is being observed across globe today

International Literacy Day is celebrated on September 8 across the countries. The day is celebrated to spread awareness about the importance of literacy. It emphasises on the need for intensified efforts towards more literate societies.

International Literacy Day-2020

• Theme for 2020 is- Literacy teaching and learning in the COVID-19 crisis and beyond.
• 2020 edition also focus on the role of educators and changing pedagogies besides youth and adults.
• The theme highlights literacy learning for a life-long learning perspective.

Background

• On 26th October 1966, UNESCO announced the commencement of the day in the 14th Session of UNESCO’s General Conference.
• The day was first celebrated in 1967.

Key Facts

• In 2015, the day was adopted as the part of UN’s sustainable development goals program.
• Literacy is an also a key component of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals 4 (SDG 4) and UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
• Theme for 2019 was ‘Literacy and Multilingualism’ while for 2018 was ‘Literacy and Skills Development’.

Why the day is important?

South Asia has the lowest regional adult literacy rate lying at 58.6 per cent as per the UNESCO’s ‘2006 Global Monitoring Report on Education for All’ . So the day is important to make human aware of the importance of literacy and their rights for development.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

It is an agency under United Nations (UN). The agency aims to promote world peace and security through international cooperation in education, the sciences, and culture. It comprises 193 member states and 11 associate members. UNESCO was founded in 1945 with its headquarter at Paris, France by succeeding the League of Nations’ International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation.

Month: Current Affairs - September, 2020