International Literacy Day 2021

Table of Contents

International Literacy Day- Relevance for UPSC Exam

GS Paper 2: Governance, Administration and Challenges- Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Kochi Metro will offer free rides to all school teachers as a mark of respect for them on International Literacy Day on September 8, 2021.
United Nations Celebrates International Literacy Day each year on 8 September 2021.

Background: The 8th of September was proclaimed as the ‘International Literacy Day by UNESCO in 1966.
Main Aim: 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.
Other measures by United Nations to Promote literacy:
- The UN’s Sustainable Development Agenda (2015) promotes universal access to quality education and learning opportunities throughout people’s lives.
- Sustainable Development Goal 4 has as one of its targets ensuring all young people achieve literacy and numeracy and that adults, who lack these skills are given the opportunity to acquire them.
UNESCO International Literacy Prizes: Since 1967, UNESCO rewards excellence and innovation in the field of literacy through its Literacy Prizes.

Theme: The theme for International Literacy Day 2021 is “Literacy for a human-centered recovery: Narrowing the digital divide”.
- 2020 theme was- “Literacy teaching and learning in the COVID-19 crisis and beyond.”
Impact of COVID-19 on Literacy: The COVID-19 crisis has disrupted the learning of children, young people, and adults at an unprecedented scale.
- Covid-19 has also magnified the pre-existing inequalities in access to meaningful literacy learning opportunities, disproportionally affecting 773 million non-literate young people and adults.
Role of Literacy in COVID-19 times: Literacy is a driver of sustainable development. It empowers individuals and improves their living standards. Literacy is important to a human-centered recovery from COVID-19.
Covid-19 and role of International Literacy Day (ILD) 2021: It will explore-
- How literacy can contribute to building a solid foundation for a human-centered recovery, with a special focus on the interplay of literacy and digital skills required by non-literate youth and adults.
- What makes technology-enabled literacy learning inclusive and meaningful is to leave no one behind.
- Opportunities to reimagine future literacy teaching and learning, within and beyond the context of the pandemic.