Celebrating International Literacy Day

Twenty-two years after the founding of the United Nations in 1945, that organization affirmed the establishment of International Literacy Day, setting its annual observance on September 8 and placing it within the framework of UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization), a UN specialized agency.

The purpose of International Literacy Day is to raise awareness about the importance of literacy and numeracy skills worldwide and to promote such skills as global human right.

From the start, the literacy movement was judged to be more than just reading and writing in a particular language. It was also the power to listen to something, understand it and communicate accordingly.

‘A Ticket to Freedom’

Literacy is a product of one’s formal education, home life and environment. Moreover, as one person summarized the topic, literacy is for many “a ticket to freedom, a voice in the community and a bridge to opportunity.”

In celebrating the day, participants are encouraged to reflect on how literacy skills play a pivotal role in achieving the United Nations own goals of ending poverty and hunger, fostering good health and a clean environment, providing quality education and achieving decent work and economic growth.

All United Nations member states are encouraged to celebrate International Literacy Day.

They are asked to pledge support for literacy efforts within their respective countries and to broadcast their successes in terms of human development. Individuals, schools and community organizations hold programs explaining the educational opportunities within local communities, arrange public lectures on topics related to literacy and prepare exhibitions showcasing successful literacy methods.

In recent years, UNESCO has started announcing specific themes for each September 8 celebration. In 2023, the theme was literacy for a world in transition which focused on development goals.

This year’s theme is promoting multi-lingual education for understanding and peace.

Startling Facts

When UNESCO began its full-scale literacy efforts, there were many who viewed low literacy rates as mainly a third-world problem. It was Africa, South Asia and South America that had problems.

However, since the start of the UN literacy efforts, the agency has kept good records of its work and outcomes and or published statistics done by programs elsewhere worldwide.

These have revealed some startling facts about literacy rates in the United States. In many instances, the United States has significant literacy deficiencies.

According to one researcher, Steve Zaudere, fully 21 percent of American adults were ranked illiterate in 2022. U.S. Literacy Statistics determined that the average American reads at the seventh to eighth-grade level.

The ‘Crucial Year’

The fourth grade of elementary school appears to be a crucial year in determining a child’s future development. Those who are below grade level at the end of fourth grade have a high risk of remaining below level into adulthood.

Moreover, the collected statistics demonstrate that literacy deficiencies are frequently directly related to school truancy problems, incarcerations and unemployment.

This has helped many in the United States understand the importance of good literacy training for both the teachers of literacy skills as well as those students who need to improve their reading skill.

Many Sisters of Providence, Providence Associates and other partners have substantial backgrounds in teaching and educational administration. They have experienced the joy of seeing students succeed.

They know the satisfaction of seeing students graduate and go on to further education or work.

Personal Experience

In the 1990s and early 2000s, I worked in adult education at a community college in Illinois. It was a good experience for me.

We worked with low-level readers, students for whom English is a second language. Our largest group was persons who had dropped out of high school largely because they needed to work.

We also were able to add to our programs a workforce development component. It allowed us to help students both earn a GED (a high school completion certificate) and take college courses that led to direct employment in work that provided a decent living wage.

All these learning opportunities were free to the students. State funds and money from individuals, foundations or organizations allowed this.

When we had our graduations, employers from the community would be in the audience seeking interviews with graduates.

It was a tremendously successful literacy effort. The state and the community recognized it as such.