International Literacy Day 2020 - International Literacy Day History, Significance, Literacy in India and Facts
Monika | Updated Aug 11, 2020 08:44 AM
International Literacy Day 2020
International Literacy Day is celebrated every year on the 8th of September. International Literacy Day is observed to spread awareness about the importance of literacy for individuals, communities, and societies and the need for intensified efforts towards more literate societies. International Literacy Day is necessary to raise the world's awareness of literary issues faced by people all over the world and to endorse campaigns that help increase literacy for all people. This article provides you all information about International Literacy Day
What is the History of World Literacy Day?
International Literacy Day was first proposed at the “World Conference of Ministers of Education on the Eradication of Illiteracy” held in Tehran, Iran in 1965. The following year UNESCO took the lead and declared the 8th of September as International Literacy Day, with the primary purpose being “…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.” One year later, the global community accepted the challenge of ending illiteracy by participating in the first International Literacy Day.
Although much progress has been made in improving literacy rates in more than fifty years since the first International Literacy Day, illiteracy remains a global problem. There are thought to be more than 750 million adults around the world who cannot read. The threat of illiteracy spares no nation or culture on earth, including the United States, where an estimated 32 million American adults are illiterate.
What is the Importance of World Literacy Day?
UNESCO has been central to improving literacy worldwide, and that is why it promotes International Literacy Day in partnership with governments, charities, local communities, and experts in the field worldwide. Adopting various themes every year wants to turn attention on literacy in all its forms in this world. Undoubtedly, without literacy, we cannot make changes in the world and also can't improve our standard of living.
According to UNESCO, "Literacy is the best remedy," which is key to the right to education. We all know that UNESCO's sustainable development goals mobilize efforts to eradicate poverty and inequalities across the world, and improving literacy rates are an integral element. UNESCO also announces International Literacy awards; these are prestigious prizes recognizing excellence and innovation submissions on the "Literacy and skills development." With this further, this day's importance will be enhanced and promotes awareness and relevance of literacy and adult learning.
How can we celebrate International Literacy Day?
Volunteer
Local libraries, reading clubs, storytelling groups are mostly in need of volunteers! You can donate your time to empower young children through the power of literacy and reading. Contact your nearest library to see what opportunities are available.
Donate to charity
Support a charity that wants to eradicate illiteracy. The World Literacy Foundation was founded to help eliminate illiteracy by promoting reading, writing, and the provision of learning resources and teaching materials. You can donate to support the vital work this International Literacy Day and allow them to increase the impact around the globe.
Share and promote #ILD2020 on social media.
Be a part of this year’s #ILD2020 conversation. Share on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram what literacy means to you and how it empowers you in your everyday life.
Why is International Literacy Day celebrated?
International Literacy Day is celebrated to promote human attention towards literacy and know their rights for social and human development. Literacy is a necessary tool to eradicate poverty, lowering child mortality, controlling population growth, attaining gender equality, etc. It is well said that literacy can raise the family status and therefore, this day is celebrated to encourage people towards getting continuous education and understand their responsibility towards the family, society, and the country.
UNESCO continues to play a vital role in improving global literacy and promoting International Literacy Day with governments, communities, etc. Through themes and several programs, it aims to highlight the role of literacy and skills development in the context of a changing world.
Quotes about Literacy
“The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read.” ― Mark Twain
“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” ― Frederick Douglass
“One glance at a book and you hear the voice of another person, perhaps someone dead for 1,000 years. To read is to voyage through time.” ― Carl Sagan
“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. Especially for girls and women, it is an agent of family health and nutrition. For everyone, everywhere, literacy is, along with education in general, a basic human right.... Literacy is, finally, the road to human progress and the means through which every man, woman, and child can realize his or her full potential.” ― Kofi Annan
“To encourage literature and the arts is a duty which every good citizen owes to his country.” ― George Washington
International Literacy Day - FAQs
International Literacy Day is observed to spread awareness about the importance of literacy for individuals, communities, and societies and the need for intensified efforts towards more literate societies.
Literacy is a necessary tool to eradicate poverty, lowering child mortality, controlling population growth, attaining gender equality, etc.
International Literacy Day was first proposed at the “World Conference of Ministers of Education on the Eradication of Illiteracy” held in Tehran, Iran in 1965.