International Literacy Day

From the first grade, children are told how important it is to be able to read and write correctly, i.e. instill in them a desire and love for learning. And not without reason, because new opportunities and prospects open up for an educated person. Illiterate people are a hindrance to the development of a civilized society. Thus, literacy is a right and at the same time a responsibility of every individual. In order to spread literacy, a holiday dedicated to it was established. International Literacy Day refers to international holidays celebrated within the United Nations (UN) system. Every year it celebrates on September 8th. The mission of the holiday is to intensify the work of society to spread literacy worldwide. On September 8, 1965, the World Conference of Ministers of Education opened in Tehran, the goal of which was to eradicate illiteracy. At the proposal of this conference, UNESCO declared September 8 as International Literacy Day in 1966. From year to year the holiday is held under a certain slogan, but its goal remains unchanged - the elimination of illiteracy. In 2003, the “Decade of Literacy” began, which was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 2002. The problem of illiteracy in the world remains relevant to this day. It’s hard to imagine, but even in our age of modern technology, there are huge settlements on the planet where people do not have basic reading and writing skills. Today the world's literate population is approximately 4 billion people. However, the number of illiterate adults is approximately 860 million. About 100 million children are not attending educational institutions. There are regions where the percentage of illiterate people is very high. These include countries in Africa, South America, India, etc. As a rule, women, teenagers and the poor account for the largest share of illiterate people. In addition, there is a large proportion of students, as well as adults, whose literacy level does not reach the minimum required for current life. Of course, the situation in the 60s of the last century was much worse, but it is too early to stop at the achieved level. Today, there is a need for further improvement of literacy programs among students requiring special attention. The problem of female illiteracy remains relevant in many countries. On the UNESCO website you can familiarize yourself with an electronic atlas that displays the literacy level of residents of different countries. According to this criterion, the Russian Federation has one of the highest scores. Traditionally, on September 8, educational institutions in many countries around the world host lessons and lectures, the leitmotif of which is the eradication of illiteracy. On this holiday, seminars, meetings, and colloquiums are held dedicated to reducing the number of illiterate people. Responsible organizations report on the work done. According to tradition, UNESCO on this day awards cash prizes in the amount of $15,000 for the most effective projects to eradicate illiteracy. As a rule, these are projects in countries of Africa, Asia, and South America.