International Literacy Day
“International Literacy Day, celebrated annually on 8 September, is an opportunity for Governments, civil society and stakeholders to highlight improvements in world literacy rates, and reflect on the world's remaining literacy challenges. The issue of literacy is a key component of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals and the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.” (Taken from International Literacy Day 8 September)
International Literacy Day 2019 focusses on ‘Literacy and multilingualism’ and is best encapsulated in the words of Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO’s Director General: "Our world is rich and diverse with about 7,000 living languages. These languages are instruments for communication, engagement in lifelong learning, and participation in society and the world of work. They are also closely linked with distinctive identities, cultures, worldviews, and knowledge systems. Embracing linguistic diversity in education and literacy development is therefore a key part of developing inclusive societies that respect “diversity” and “difference”, upholding human dignity".
For those of us in more privileged circumstances, it is easy to take education and, by extension, literacy for granted. While I do not believe I personally know anyone who is not literate, I am mindful that I am very fortunate due to circumstances of birth (the UK where education is not just compulsory, but also free from 5 - 18 years of age) and having a mother who valued (and still values!) education and encouraged a love of reading well before I started school.
I am reminded of this almost each and every time I fly from Kuala Lumpur to Dhaka as I end up completing landing cards for Bangladeshis who are migrant workers in KL. The vast majority of them do not have the ability to complete a simple form asking (in Bangla, also known as Bengali) for basic information such as name, date of birth, address etc.,. It is very sobering to realize that - by virtue of having attended night school, learning how to read and write Bangla, and culminating in me sitting Bangla G.C.S.E. - I (a non Bangladeshi) am more literate in Bangla than many Bangladeshis.
I find it interesting to note the following facts regarding literacy:
“From a historical perspective, literacy levels for the world population have risen drastically in the last couple of centuries. While only 12% of the people in the world could read and write in 1820, today the share has reversed: only 17% of the world population remains illiterate. Over the last 65 years the global literacy rate increased by 4% every 5 years – from 42% in 1960 to 86% in 2015." (Taken from: Our World In Data - Literacy)
“The high literacy rate among the youth indicates that as time passes, the literacy rate for the overall population will continue to increase.” (Taken from: Our World In Data - Literacy)
It is evident that despite progress made, in many countries literacy is an area for continued focus:
“Despite progress in the long run, however, large inequalities remain, notably between sub-Saharan Africa and the rest of the world. In Burkina Faso, Niger and South Sudan – the African countries at the bottom of the rank – literacy rates are still below 30%.” (Taken from: Our World In Data - Literacy)
“One of the lowest literacy rates in the world is found in Niger, where just over 19% of adults can read and write. More than one-quarter of the males in this nation are literate, while just 11% of females are literate.” (Literacy Rate by Country 2019)
“In total, there are about 781 adults worldwide that can’t read or write.” (Literacy Rate by Country 2019)
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