Bridging the Gap with Literacy

“Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope. It is a tool for daily life in modern society. It is a bulwark against poverty, and a building block of development, an essential complement to investments in roads, dams, clinics, and factories. Literacy is a platform for democratization, and a vehicle for the promotion of cultural and national identity”—Kofi Anan (7th Secretary-General of United Nations)

Between taking lessons and attending classes; Image Source: Pexels/Yogendra Singh

People often underestimate the power behind knowing that 26 alphabets exist or that they can write when they think of putting an idea down on paper. It is true what Kofi Anan said, literacy has been a bridge. A bridge that covers the gap of differences among people. Thus, reflecting upon the importance of literacy in our lives, the United Nations celebrates 8th September every year as World Literacy Day. It is celebrated “to remind the international community of the importance of literacy for individuals, communities and societies, and the need for intensified efforts towards more literate societies”.

World Literacy Day was first celebrated on 8th September 1967 after UNESCO’s general conference in 1966. The conference emphasised the essentiality behind literacy and put forward the idea of encouraging better education systems for both adults and children.

Ever since then, it has been the UN’s key goal under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and its 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In addition to that, many measures have also been taken to expand and avail educational resources to every part of the world. Coming to India, the last census of 2011 showed that a total of 74.04% of the total population is literate which is 9.2% more than the last decade (2001-2011). Kerala reigns with a stat of  93.91% literacy. However, in terms of world literacy, India still lags behind.

Even if the situation seems stable to many, the reality is quite different. There are 775 million people in this world who still lack basic literacy skills and it would be surprising to know that every one in five adults is still not literate. When focusing on intersectionality, the problem runs deeper when it comes to women.

Many communities around the globe believe women still don't deserve to be literate or get educated. With heavy restrictions and wrong mindsets existing around them, women tend to become targets of illiteracy quite frequently. These problems convey why it is still important for us to fight and establish a better system that helps everyone together to overcome the problem equally.

Every year World Literacy day is celebrated with a theme in mind to focus specifically on. This year's theme would be “Literacy for a human-centered recovery: Narrowing the digital divide”.

Since the start of the pandemic, education has become quite unstable for many. UNESCO reported saying —“During Covid-19, in many countries, adult literacy programs were absent in the initial education response plans, so the majority of adult literacy programs that did exist were suspended with just a few courses continuing virtually, through TV and radio, or in open-air spaces.”

Due to the discontinuation of offline programs and institutions, the world is currently thriving on digital means for education. The theme thus gives importance to making literacy feasible for every person through necessary means in order to fight the obstacles that the pandemic caused for everyone.

With that being said, a very happy World Literacy Day to everyone. The power behind education should never be overlooked and the privilege of going to schools and higher institutions shouldn't be taken for granted. For this world to become a much equal and peaceful place, everyone should understand why literacy is important. Thus with every chance you get, do remember to spread awareness and help people with the same.