International Literacy Day 2023

By Fernanda Ferreira de Freitas / GICJ

Literacy as a catalyst of change

Literacy is often regarded solely as a prerequisite to the right to education, which is an oversimplification of its role in shaping an individual’s life and society. Besides being recognised by key international conventions as a right in itself, it serves as an enabler to the enjoyment of other social, political, and economic rights [1].

As of 2020, 70% of 10-year-old children from low- and middle-income countries could not read and understand a simple text [2]. This inability hinders their capacity to have access to education and endangers their futures, as it increases their odds of living in poverty and introduces obstacles to their access to health, jobs, and culture, among other components of a fulfilling life. 

Aware of literacy’s potential as a catalyst of change, the international community has celebrated since 1967 the International Literacy Day (ILD). Every 8th of September, policymakers, experts, and other stakeholders are brought together to acknowledge the advances regarding this right and to address the challenges to the creation of a more literate society. It is a date dedicated to shedding light on the importance of literacy and to fostering its agenda [3].

The reflection on such matters is important in view of the various recent crises (e.g. COVID-19, climate change) and of the number of protracted conflicts, which have prevented many children and adults from having access to consistent education. Furthermore, the advent of new digital technologies brings new opportunities and risks, which must be managed in a proactive manner by the international community. 

International Literacy Day 2023

The International Literacy Day 2023 will take place in the mid-point towards the 2030 Global Agenda for Sustainable Development and its associated goals. It is thus an opportunity to review the ongoing trajectory of literacy-related targets (e.g. targets associated with SDG 4 “Quality Education”) and to reflect on the cross-cutting role of literacy in achieving all sustainable development goals.

Bearing this in mind, this year’s celebration will be held under the theme “Promoting literacy for a world in transition: Building the foundation for sustainable and peaceful societies”. It will focus on the interconnections between literacy and other rights, showing how progress in one dimension can create a positive momentum across topics and serve as leverage for the creation of more inclusive, just, and sustainable societies [4].

The aforementioned link is supported by cross-sector evidence on the impacts of literacy. For instance, literacy programmes have been proven to help enhance democratic values and solidarity through the empowerment of people. Specifically, being able to decipher and to understand written sources can help individuals assume a more critical and emancipatory approach and thus take a more active role in their communities [5].

Becker et al. (2015), applies this notion to human rights literacy by focusing on the impacts of understanding terms such as dignity, equality, and freedom as both rights (legal claims) and values (moral action) on creating transformative action [6].

Its impacts can also be observed when it comes to the access to healthcare, as data indicates a correlation between literacy and health outcomes. While higher levels of literacy improve those outcomes, less-literate populations endure worse outcomes, probably due to difficulties such as poor understanding of medical information and struggling to communicate with healthcare providers [7].

Among the main expected results of IDL2023 are a greater awareness of this mutual reinforcement, the promotion of a “lifelong learning” model, and the sharing of experiences and solutions focused on the transformative power of literacy.

Literacy in the digital era

New digital technology provides trainers with innovative new tools, enabling new modes of facilitation and participation, and fostering interaction between trainers and trainees. For instance, they make it possible to create tailor-made training courses and to make individuals more active in their training paths by choosing where, how and on what to train. This flexibility enables more individuals to attend training courses (e.g.: audiences working during the day, persons with limited locomotion), boosting their coverage.

However, those technologies can also have a negative impact on literacy, as they can leave behind individuals with limited access to the internet or lacking numeracy skills - who are often part of the most marginalised and vulnerable groups and, therefore, main targets of literacy programmes.

This digital divide, together with the increasing need of IT skills in the job market and for administrative procedures, make numeracy a key concern. As such, many literacy programmes are gradually embracing numeracy as part of their projects.

Unexpected negative outcomes of new technologies also come from services such as voice recognition and automatic dictation. Those services, while helping illiterate individuals to perform day-to-day tasks requiring writing skills, may also disincentive people to make efforts to be literate by offering viable solutions [8].

Literacy in the digital era should thus not be seen as a “miracle solution”, but as an element of a complex system in the service of human-centred policies and programmes.

Human Right to Literacy: Where are we today?

The widespread consensus of the international community regarding literacy’s role in improving one’s life and on shaping more sustainable and peaceful societies do not prevent the violation of the right to literacy around the world.

For instance, as of August 2023, all education centres funded by foreign NGOs in Afghanistan’s Southern provinces have been closed by the Taliban [9]. These centres, responsible for providing literacy classes to tens of thousands of children in remote areas, were essential to ensure access to education in zones lacking government schools. 

The Taliban’s decision comes as a hard blow on the right to literacy in general, and on girls and women’s rights in particular as, even before the closure of those education centres, girls above sixth grade from all-over Afghanistan were already forbidden from attending schools. 

Barriers to literacy are a stark reality for girls in Afghanistan and globally, who face a greater risk of illiteracy than boys. Because of this, it is estimated that two-thirds of the world’s illiterate population is composed of women, which increases the likelihood of other human rights violations, such as child marriage and gender-based violence [10].

On this International Literacy Day, Geneva International Centre for Justice (GICJ) calls attention to all individuals whose right to literacy are not assured, notably those pertaining to vulnerable groups and minorities. It also strongly condemns all actions aiming to repress those advocating for this right, such as Matiullah Wesa. A well-known literacy advocate, Wesa was arrested last March by the Taliban for speaking against Afghanistan’s “war on education” [11]. 

This September 8th, we stand together with Wesa and all of those fighting for the right to literacy around the world.

International Day of Literacy, Education, Human Rights, Geneva4Justice, Geneva International Centre for Justice, GICJ

References:

[1] Literacy as a Human Right - READ Educational Trust

[2] The World Bank, UNESCO and UNICEF (2021). The State of the Global Education Crisis: A Path to Recovery. Washington D.C., Paris, New York: The World Bank, UNESCO, and UNICEF.

[3] International Literacy Day | UNESCO

[4] UNESCO (2023) Concept Note “International Literacy Day 2023 - Promoting literacy for a world in transition: Building the foundation for sustainable and peaceful societies”

[5] UNESCO (2023) Concept Note “International Literacy Day 2023 - Promoting literacy for a world in transition: Building the foundation for sustainable and peaceful societies”

[6] Becker, A., de Wet, A. and van Vollenhoven, W. (2015) ‘Human rights literacy: Moving towards rights-based education and transformative action through understandings of dignity, equality and freedom’, South African Journal of Education, 35(2), pp. 1–12. doi:10.15700/saje.v35n2a1044.

[7] https://www.gogyup.com/blog/literacy-human-rights-health-epidemic

[8] UNESCO (2023) Concept Note “International Literacy Day 2023 - Promoting literacy for a world in transition: Building the foundation for sustainable and peaceful societies”

[9] https://www.rferl.org/a/azadi-briefing-taliban-education-afghanistan-united-nations/32373721.html

[10] https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/literacy-rate-by-country

[11] https://www.fairplanet.org/editors-pick/taliban-detains-literary-activist/