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International Literacy Day: Narrowing the digital divide amid pandemic scare-In Pics

'International Literacy Day' was first celebrated in 1967 to remind people of the importance of ‘literacy’ as a matter of dignity and human rights and to advance the literacy agenda towards a more literate and sustainable society.

Despite consistent efforts and progress, around 773 million still lack basic literacy skills today. The COVID-19 pandemic aggravated the issue, disrupting learning at an unprecedented scale.

Arushi Mohindra|

Updated:Sep 08, 2021, 02:02 PM IST

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Literacy for a human-centered recovery: Narrowing the digital divide

International Literacy Day, for this year, will be celebrated under the theme ‘Literacy for a human-centered recovery: Narrowing the digital divide’ to draw attention towards the disruption of learning caused by the pandemic.

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Digital divide highlighted

The rapid shift to distance learning highlighted the already existing digital divide and unequal distribution of resources that facilitate distance learning.

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Literacy is of critical importance

Literacy is of importance to all as it empowers individuals and improves their lives by expanding their capabilities to choose a kind of life they can value.

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Literacy promotes sustainable development

According to UNESCO, literacy is an integral part of education and lifelong learning premised on humanism and central to a human-centered recovery from the COVID-19 crisis.

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Basic literacy is still a dream for many

Despite many efforts being made to promote literacy, even today more than a staggering 700 million people are not literate.