The UNESCO International Literacy Prizes 2013

Literacy for all remains an elusive goal, new UNESCO data shows

Over 84 percent of the world’s adults are now literate, according to the latest data from UNESCO’s Institute for Statistics (UIS). This represents an eight percentage point increase since 1990, but it still leaves some 774 million adults who cannot read or write.

The new data released for International Literacy Day on 8 September, show that most of the world’s illiterate adults live in South and West Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. On the basis of current trends, 743 million adults (15 years and older) will still lack basic literacy skills in 2015, the deadline for the Millennium Development Goals.

‘Two thirds of these people are women’.

Illiteracy also remains a persistent problem in developed countries. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), one in five young people in Europe had poor literacy skills in 2009, and some 160 million adults in OECD countries were functionally illiterate. This means that they do not have the skills needed to function in today’s environments such as the ability to fill out forms, follow instructions, read a map, or help with their children with homework.

See an infographic of the data here.

The statistics highlight the difficulties of reducing illiteracy rates. An evaluation of the achievements made over the United Nations Literacy decade, which ended in 2012, shows a multitude of initiatives to overcome illiteracy and a much greater awareness of the scope of the problem. However, it also highlights the need to improve the quality of education – from teacher training to the content and relevance of what is taught – and ensure that government policy is translated into action.

“This situation is exacerbated by the rise of new technologies and modern knowledge societies that make the ability to read and write all the more essential,” said UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova in her message for International Literacy Day.

“Literacy is the first condition for dialogue, communication and integration into new connected societies. Young people need new skills to enter and succeed in the job market: knowledge of several languages, understanding of cultural diversity, lifelong learning. Literacy is the key for acquiring knowledge, interpersonal skills, expertise and the ability to live together in community – all skills that are the foundations of modern society.

“In the twenty-first century, more than ever before, literacy is the cornerstone of peace and development.”

“Literacies for the 21st century” is the theme of this year’s International Literacy Day, chosen to highlight to the evolving range of literacy skills required to full participate in today’s connected societies.

An international colloquium on this issue will be held at UNESCO’s Paris Headquarters on Monday 9 September, as part of the celebration for the International Day. Opened by the Director-General, the event will bring together ministers and deputy ministers of education, development and culture from Afghanistan, Benin, the Republic of Chad, India, Namibia, Pakistan and Senegal, along with representatives from other intergovernmental organizations, NGO’s working in education and literacy, and the private sector.

The colloquium will lay the foundations for a Global Coalition, a multi-stakeholder partnership for advancing the literacy agenda, to be launched in November.

The award ceremony for UNESCO’s annual literacy prizes will take place following this event (6.30 pm, Room 4). This year’s awards are being presented to winners from Bangladesh, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, India and Namibia.

On Tuesday 10 September, the five laureates, along with Sugata Mitra, TED Prize 2013 winner, professor of Educational Technology at the School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences at Newcastle University (UK) will participate in a panel session on Promising Pathways to a Literate World (3 pm to 6 pm, Room xx)

Literacy is a fundamental human right and the foundation for lifelong learning. It is fully essential to social and human development in its ability to transform lives. For individuals, families, and societies alike, it is an instrument of empowerment to improve one’s health, one’s income, and one’s relationship with the world.

The uses of literacy for the exchange of knowledge are constantly evolving, along with advances in technology. From the Internet to text messaging, the ever-wider availability of communication makes for greater social and political participation. A literate community is a dynamic community, one that exchanges ideas and engages in debate. Illiteracy, however, is an obstacle to a better quality of life, and can even breed exclusion and violence.

For over 65 years UNESCO has worked to ensure that literacy remains a priority on national and international agendas. Through its formal and non-formal literacy programmes worldwide, the Organization works to realize the vision of a literate world for all.

Message from Ms Irina Bokova, Director General of UNESCO, on the occasion of International Literacy Day Literacies for the 21st century.

Established in 2005 through the generosity of the Government of the People’s Republic of China, the UNESCO Confucius Prize recognize the activities of outstanding individuals, governments or governmental agencies and NGOs whose work in literacy serves rural adults and out-of-school youth, particularly women and girls.

The Prize is named in honor of the renowned Chinese scholar Confucius.

It consists of two monetary awards of US$20,000, a medal and a diploma awarded to each prize-winner. Furthermore, the Confucius Prize offers a study visit to literacy project sites in China.

Every year, UNESCO invites Member States and International NGOs who have formal relations with the Organization to solicit and submit candidacies to the UNESCO International Literacy Prizes.

The selection of prize-winners is made by an International Jury appointed by UNESCO’s Director-General, which meets annually at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. The Prizes are usually awarded in an official ceremony on International Literacy Day (8 September).

The UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) has published a collection of case studies entitled Literacy Programmes with a focus on women to reduce gender disparities. The collection covers 22 successful programmes directly targeting women in 18 countries in Africa, Arab States, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America, Europe and North America. These case studies are also accessible at the UNESCO Effective Literacy and Numeracy Practices Database (LitBase ).

According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), two thirds of the 774 million adults who are unable to read and to write are women. The publication with examples of good practices is meant to serve as a resource to inspire the implementation and continuation of literacy programmes for women. 

For more details: Literacy Programmes with a focus on women to reduce gender disparities (PDF).

According to new data released by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), literacy rates for adults and youth continue to rise. Young women aged 15–24 are making the strongest gains, but still lag behind young men. In 2011,87% of female youth had basic literacy skills, compared to 92% of males. Despite these gains, 774 million adults (aged 15 years and older) are still unable to read or write – two-thirds of them (493 million) are women.

Among youth, 123 million are illiterate, of which 76 million are female. Even though the size of the global illiterate population is shrinking, the female proportion has remained virtually steady at 63% to 64%. In order to redress this persistent gender disparity, the need to empower women through the acquisition of literacy skills is gaining increasing recognition. The Literacy Initiative for Empowerment (LIFE, 2006–2015), launched by UNESCO as one of its three flagship initiatives for attaining Education for All (EFA), promotes a specific strategy for reducing gender disparities in adult literacy and empowering women.

The Belém Framework for Action adopted at the Sixth International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA VI), held in Belém, Brazil in 2009, also established the importance of literacy actions focused on women, as well as women’s access to and participation in literacy initiatives taking account of the particular demands of the gender-specific life-course. A number of countries are already implementing effective literacy programmes that directly target women, including various E-9 countries, LIFE countries and countries in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
 

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News

• 07.09.13 – UIL Launches Publication on Women’s Literacy Programmes
• 06.09.13 – Literacy for all remains an elusive goal, new UNESCO data shows
• 06.09.13 – A’Salfo: Lyrics for Literacy
• 04.09.13 – Interview with Room to Read – laureate of the UNESCO 2011 Confucius Prize for Literacy

UIL Launches Publication on Women’s Literacy Programmes

 
Submission: Meetika Srivastava