International Literacy Day is celebrated every year on the 8th of September to raise awareness about the issues and importance of literacy. It was first commemorated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on 26th October 1966 at the 14th session of the UNESCO’s general conference. It was celebrated for the first time in 1967.
Its chief purpose and aim is to highlight the importance of literacy for individuals, communities, societies and countries as a whole. The event along with the celebrations are known to take place in several countries.
Literacy Rate in India and Other Countries
The factors that determine the literacy rate of different countries are very vast and varied to say the least. While some developed nations are at a 100% literacy rate, like Andorra, Finland, Norway, Uzbekistan, Czech Republic and more, there are also some differences between the developed nations as well. For example, the literacy rate in the United States of America is at an alarming 79%, despite arguably being the most developed, admired and revered country on Earth. That means a whopping 21% of U.S residents are not literate. Interestingly, the literacy rate in India is approximately 79.1% with the 2022 census. India consists of 28 states in which the highest literacy rate rank is Kerala, and the lowest literacy rate rank is Bihar. The literacy rate in the Philippines is very high at 96.29%. Singapore has a very high youth literacy rate at 99.93%. Higher literacy rates indicate a much more employed and able population. Conversely, a lower literacy rate is indicative of more poverty, sanitation issues, prejudices towards women and other undesirables.
Report Highlights from the USA:
54% of adults have a literacy below 6th grade level.
Low levels of literacy costs the US up to 2.2 trillion per year.
34% of adults who lack proficiency in literacy were born outside the US.
The state with the lowest adult literacy rate was California.
On average, nationwide, 66% of 4th grade children in the U.S. could not read proficiently in 2013. (Source: thinkimpact.com)
Every year there is a different theme for the International Literacy Day which is organized by UNESCO. The UNESCO director general, Audrey Azolay, recently had this day about the International Literacy Day:
"At a time when we need to reinvent a world of hope, literacy is more important than ever. On this International Day, I thus invite all those involved in education to redouble their investments and mobilize all their resources to unleash the potential of each individual in the service of a shared world."