International Literacy Day 2022 and Its Significance

International Literacy Day is observed on September 8 annually across the world. The day is celebrated to remind the international community of the significance of literacy for individuals, communities, and societies, and the need for exaggerated efforts toward more literate societies.

Literacy is a rudimentary human right, and as unconventional as it may seem, everyone doesn’t know this. To remind people of this and the significance of literacy, UNESCO established International Literacy Day in 1966. On 26 October 1966, UNESCO proclaimed 8 September as International Literacy Day to combat worldwide issues of illiteracy. The day has been commemorated every year since the 8th of September, 1967, to promote the literacy agenda towards a literate and sustainable society.

The theme for this day of this year is “Transforming Literacy Learning Spaces”. The theme strives to assemble an opportunity to evaluate the rudimentary importance of literacy learning spaces, build stability, and guarantee a quality, impartial and inclusive education for all.

As per UNESCO, the importance of the world's ever-changing context has grown in recent years, and this has slowed the expansion of global literacy projects. The issue of literacy is a key element of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals and the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Sustainable Development Goal 4 has as one of its targets guaranteeing all young people achieve literacy and numeracy and that adults, who lack these skills are given the opportunity to acquire them.

Literacy is vital for human and social development. It helps us develop the capability to learn new concepts and acquire different skills, which are quite valuable in enhancing our standards of living. In this regard, UNESCO wants to turn attention to literacy in all its forms in a changing world. No doubt without literacy we can't make changes in the world and also can't improve our living being.