International Literacy Day 2024: Empowering Through Words

Overview and Significance of International Literacy Day 2024

• International Literacy Day celebrated annually on September 8th since 1967
• Organized by UNESCO to promote literacy worldwide
• 2024 Theme: "Promoting multilingual education: Literacy for mutual understanding and peace"
• Highlights the importance of literacy for personal empowerment and societal development
• Aims to raise awareness about literacy challenges and advocate for inclusive education
• Emphasizes the role of literacy in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
• Focuses on bridging educational gaps, promoting gender equality, and supporting sustainable development goals

Current Global Literacy Landscape

• As of 2022, one in seven adults (765 million) lacked basic literacy skills
• 250 million children aged 6-18 are out of school
• Millions of children struggle to acquire minimum proficiency in reading, writing, and numeracy
• Post-pandemic, nearly 24 million learners may never return to formal education
• 11 million of those likely to be girls and young women
• UK reports a 99% literacy rate, but 1 in 100 still struggle with reading and writing
• Literacy impacts employment opportunities and ability to perform everyday tasks

Multilingual Approach and Its Benefits

• 2024 theme emphasizes multilingual education for mutual understanding and peace
• Recognizes multilingualism as a common practice globally
• Promotes first language-based, multilingual approach to literacy development

Benefits include:

• • Cognitive advantages
  • Pedagogical effectiveness
  • Socio-economic benefits
• Aims to foster mutual understanding, social cohesion, and peace
• Helps solidify communal identities and collective histories
• Pacific region highlighted as an example with approximately 1,500 spoken languages

International Literacy Day 2024 Celebrations and Initiatives

• Global celebration to be held on September 9-10, 2024, in Yaoundé, Cameroon

Events include:

• • Global conference
  • UNESCO International Literacy Prizes award ceremony
  • Side events such as Global Alliance of Literacy (GAL) annual meeting
  • Action Research on Measuring Literacy and Alternative Education (RAMAED) meetings
  • UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities meetings
• Focuses on literacy agenda in Cameroon and Africa
• Worldwide celebrations planned at global, regional, national, and local levels
• Both in-person and online events to be organized
• Initiatives include donating books to local classrooms and libraries
• Sharing free resources to make literacy materials more accessible