“National educational plans should include schooling for children and literacy training for adults as parallel elements,” stated UNESCO on 26th October 1966 declaring 8th September to be recognized as International Literacy Day. The idea was to promote literacy or formal education not just in children but in adults too who didn’t get a chance to pursue academics.
Today, on the 51st anniversary of the International Literacy Day, UN unveils the true face of literacy rates. According to UN statistics, 750 million people across the globe are unable to read and write!
At the 50th International Literacy Day Review, Qian Tang, Education Assistant Director-General-UNESCO stated, “The wider adult population has not benefited to the same extent in some regions. It is a troubling fact that there are now more adults without literacy compared with 50 years ago, meaning that our efforts have not kept pace with population growth.” The adult literacy rate has decreased due to the reason of population growth that has increased drastically in the last 5 decades.
Country-specific statistics reveal that India’s literacy rate is 72.1% where the literacy among men is 80.9%, while for women it’s 62.8%.
As we step into the 51st year, UNESCO has set its mission for literacy with Education 2030 Agenda which transpires 17 Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 to eradicate poverty through education.