INTERNATIONAL LITERACY DAY

8 SEPTEMBER

  
 

.

The year 2003 marked the start of the United Nations Literacy Decade and aims to provide an international framework that will increase the efforts to spread the benefits of literacy as widely as possible. An international goal has been set to improve the levels of adult literacy by 50% by the year 2015 and the Decade will support this goal.

Approximately 1 in 5 of the world's adults is illiterate and it is our role to remind authorities at international and national levels to strengthen local capacity and support community initiatives.

International Literacy Day is an occasion to celebrate the importance literacy has on individuals, communities and societies worldwide. It also provides the opportunity to encourage those whose illiteracy currently excludes them from full participation in society.

Key questions: How can we build a democratic nation if so many remain without one of life's most basic skills? How can mutual understanding and dialogue between different cultures prosper when the illiteracy levels are so high?, How can poverty be eradicated when the roots of ignorance are left undisturbed?

Suggested Activities:

  1. How do you think that ‘reading' the environment, understanding ecosystems and following sustainable practices can be a form of literacy?
  2. Developing reading and writing skills (instructional or mother language) through Dialogue Journal Writing (DJW) with your pupils or with adult learners.