Literacy

International Literacy Day

“Literacy is not just about educating, it is a unique and powerful tool to eradicate poverty and a strong means for social and human progress.”

International Literacy Day, designated by UNESCO in 1967, is an annual awareness day which marks the importance of literacy to all countries and cultures. It takes place annually on the 8th September.

International Literacy Day 2021 will focus on Literacy teaching and learning in the COVID-19 crisis and beyond, with a focus on the role of educators and changing teaching practices. This means that this year the day is more relevant than ever to teachers and the challenges of teaching literacy that COVID-19 has brought, and future-proof approaches to teaching that might be adopted.

Who is UNESCO?

UNESCO stands for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The organisation seeks to build peace through international cooperation in Education, the Sciences, and Culture.

They transcend political agendas and were established after World War II ended in 1945 in the pursuit of peace and global cooperation in the fields of Education, Science, and Culture. Their work spans many other areas beyond literacy, but they see this as essential for peace and prosperity.

This event is in line with the Education For All Goals and the United Nationals program (United Nations Literacy Decade), and this year UNESCO’s International Literacy Day conference will be virtual. Many well-known writers take part in supporting the event to celebrate the importance of learning about literature and language.

Related organisations are the World Literacy Foundation and the UK’s National Literary Trust.

Why do we need International Literacy Day?

Over 775 million adults struggle with basic literacy, and two-thirds of this figure are women. Celebrating International Literacy Day (ILD) is a brilliant way to raise awareness of the value of literacy and to encourage children and adults alike to develop their literacy skills.

This year, in particular, it's even more important to discuss literacy, as thousands of schools were closed globally and many adult literacy courses and classes also had to be suspended during the COVID-19 crisis.

It's unclear what the impact of this year will have on literacy in the long term, but one thing is clear - it's more important than ever to put the spotlight on literacy skills and encourage children and adults alike to develop them.

How can you celebrate International Literacy Day?

Some activities that you might like to do at home with your family are;

• Review your favourite family books.
• Creat a creative writing piece.
• Read a story together. 
• Design your own book covers or bookmarks. 
• Complete a word search.
• Think about your favourite authors and write them a letter or email.
• Donate some books that you have outgrown - this would be a great way to get children involved in helping others.

Open the attachment for some printable activities;

Credit to twinkle.com for the information regarding International Literacy Day.