UNESCO will mark the sixtieth International Literacy Day with a global gathering in Chiapas, Mexico, on 8 and 9 September. Education ministers, teachers, specialists and students are expected to examine both advances and persistent barriers to literacy. The programme follows the theme “Literacy for People, Planet and Prosperity” and includes awards for six outstanding initiatives.
Worldwide adult literacy has risen from 65 percent in 1975 to more than 88 percent today, according to UNESCO. However, an estimated 739 million young people and adults still lack basic reading and writing skills. In lower- and middle-income countries, four in ten children do not reach minimum reading proficiency. Participants will also discuss multilingual education and a new action plan for the Global Alliance for Literacy. The contrast between progress and continuing exclusion gives the anniversary a practical purpose: turning discussion into better policies and measurement.