International Literacy Day 2011 Celebrates Peace

(September 08, 2011) This year’s International Literacy Day, celebrated world-wide on 8 September, will focus on the link between literacy and peace. During a ceremony in New Delhi, India, UNESCO will award the international Confucius and King Sejong literacy prizes to projects in Burundi, Mexico, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the United States of America. In New Delhi, India an international conference on Women’s Literacy for Inclusive and Sustainable Development is being organized by UNESCO’s E9 initiative, from 8 to 10 September. On International Literacy Day each year, UNESCO reminds the international community of the status of literacy and adult learning globally. It calls for more strenuous efforts to promote literacy for all. It should be the collective efforts of society as a whole, particularly of the governments and agents of education. Despite many and varied efforts, literacy remains an elusive target: some 793 million adults lack minimum literacy skills which means that about one in six adults is still not literate; 67.4 million children are out-of-school and many more attend irregularly or drop out. In India the current literacy rate is around 70 per cent. The literacy level has been on the increase over the years, but the country still has one of the largest illiterate populations in the world. Christian educational institutions throughout the country play a major role in promoting literacy and education.