International Literacy Day

International Literacy Day | September 8, 2021

This year's theme for International Literacy Day is "Literacy for a human-centered recovery: Narrowing the digital divide." 

Proclaimed by UNESCO in 1966, the International Literacy Day highlights the importance of reading and writing and creating learning opportunities for illiterate communities. 

With the heightening cases of COVID-19 in the country and the emergence of the virus variants, face-to-face classes seem to be impractical at the moment. The current educational setup does not favor everyone, especially those who have little to no access to technology, which significantly affects students' learning. 

Today is a reminder that in facing this health crisis, we must also not forget to include and put importance to everyone's right to literacy and education in recalibrating approaches and policies. 

Literacy empowers a person and widens their world. Frederick Douglass once said, "Once you learn to read, you will be forever free."