GLOBALLY, the number of people unable to read and write a simple sentence continues to fall, but trends vary considerably across regions and countries,according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Institute for Statistics (UIS), on the occasion of International Literacy Day on September 8.In Guyana, International Literacy Day was held under the theme: ‘Literacy and Sustainable Societies.’
According to Chief Education Officer Olato Sam: “Research is abundantly clear; the more literate the population, the greater our output will be in all sectors. The more literate our workers, the more amenable they will be for further training and higher education; the greater value they will ascribe to education and pass those values on to their children. The more literate our citizens, the more receptive they would be to higher ideals such as social cohesion and issues of equity and equality.”

Meanwhile, the international community has pledged to reduce adult illiteracy rates by 50%, compared to 2000 levels as part of the Education for All (EFA) goals.

“While the number of illiterate people has fallen over the past 15 years, UIS data show that 757 million adults – two-thirds of whom are women – still lack basic reading and writing skills…UIS projections also show that most countries failed to reach the EFA literacy goal, underscoring the need for the new literacy target, which is even more ambitious in its current framing within the Sustainable Development Goals.”

According to UNESCO: “The latest data show that the global adult literacy rate was 85% and the youth literacy rate was 91% in 2013. This represents an increase compared to estimates for the reference year 2012, when the adult and youth literacy rates were 84% and 89%, respectively.”
By 2015, UNESCO noted that the international community pledged to reduce illiteracy rates by 50% compared to 2000 levels as part of the EFA goals and the related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Yet according to UIS projections, most countries have missed the deadline. The global adult literacy rate it is estimated will reach 86% by 2015 and the youth literacy rate, 92%.
It might interest the literate amongst us to know that there are some United Nations-recommended initiatives that society can take, either as individuals or groups, outside the formal school system to improve literacy levels in our country.
Persons can contribute to enhancing literacy levels by donating books and other reading materials to your local school, library or community centre; setting up a Reading Club in your community; volunteering to teach a literacy class in your community; and mentoring one or more non-literate persons – because in the final analysis, literacy is much more than an educational tool.
It is an instrument – and a critical one at that – that helps to craft the quality of life in our neighbourhoods, our communities, our country, our Region and in the world as a whole. In Guyana, whether we are within or outside the formal education system, we must commit ourselves to the furtherance of the noble goal of raising the levels of literacy in our country. It is not only about raising the standard of education, but also about improving the quality of life in Guyana.

By Rabindra Rooplall