From the Director of 

Teaching & Learning 

International Literacy Day takes place on 8 September every year, to raise awareness and concern for literacy problems that exist within our own local communities, as well as globally. 

International Literacy Day was founded by proclamation of The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO, in 1966 “to remind the public of the importance of literacy as a matter of dignity and human rights.” International Literacy Day brings ownership of the challenges of illiteracy back home to local communities where literacy begins, one person at a time.

Although much progress has been made in improving literacy rates in the more than fifty years since the first International Literacy Day, illiteracy remains a global problem. There are thought to be more than 750 million adults around the world who cannot read. The scourge of illiteracy spares no nation or culture on earth, including the United States, where an estimated 32 million American adults are illiterate.

What exactly is literacy? 

Literacy can be defined as “the quality or state of being literate: educated…able to read and write.”  Because you are able to read this article and no doubt, spend a lot of time reading online, it may seem incredulous to learn there are people living and working in your own community who not only cannot read this article, but are unable to read a book, a restaurant menu, a road sign, a voting ballot, an instruction manual, a prescription bottle label, or a cereal box. Can you imagine navigating modern-day life without the basic ability to read and write? Wiping out illiteracy in every local community around the world is what International Literacy Day is all about.

International Literacy Day was first conceived at the “World Conference of Ministers of Education on the Eradication of Illiteracy” held in Tehran, Iran in 1965.  The following year UNESCO took the lead and declared September 8 as International Literacy Day, with the primary purpose being “…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.” One year later, the global community accepted the challenge of ending illiteracy by participating in the first International Literacy Day.

Reasons why Literacy is important for everyone…

Brain health: Studies show that giving the brain a daily workout reading, writing and working with numbers keeps brain cells healthy as we age, reducing the chances of developing Alzheimer’s and Dementia later in life.

Community participation: The lack of literary skills limits social engagement at all age levels and prevents adults and children from being able to participate fully and contribute to the betterment of society.

Effective Communication: Learning to read and write improves our ability to communicate effectively with others by enhancing oral language, allowing us to express our feelings, thoughts, and ideas with others more clearly. 

Employment Advancement: Knowing how to read, write and work with numbers are critical skills for jobs and can provide opportunities to advance up the social-economic ladder. Literacy breaks the cycle of poverty, one life at a time.

Knowledge is Power: Literacy is the key to personal empowerment and gives us personal dignity and self-worth.

The College acknowledged the importance of International Literacy Day with all students engaging in activities. The Mathematics Faculty recognised that 50% of errors in Mathematics occurs prior to doing any calculations due to not understanding what the question is asking. PDHPE students have been focusing on cause-and-effect language and the use of verbs. Students have been looking at text types in Agriculture, whilstYear 8 Italianhave been engaging in literacy as part of their current assessment task, creating an eBook about an Italian family. Students have been focusing on using adjectives in English and Italian to construct several family member descriptions. Year 9 and 10 Computing students completed written activities with a focus on verbs, adjectives, punctuation and cause and effect paragraphs. They also reviewed current topic vocabulary by playing online spelling games through the Educandy website. Science classes celebrated International Literacy Day, reading articles from scientific journals. The boys wrote a response, addressing key points in the article, scientific ideas presented, and what they learnt from reading the article. 

Ms Judith Tolomeo

Director of Teaching and Learning