Literacy

Literacy is a fundamental prerequisite for peace. It empowers individuals to make informed choices, which impact their families and their communities. It contributes to democracy by enabling effective participation in the policy process, and it increases mutual understanding through encouraging debate and dialogue. In today’s knowledge driven societies, lack of literacy is more than ever synonymous with exclusion and marginalization.

According to data from UNESCO’s Institute for Statistics, 793 million adults – most of them girls and women - are illiterate. A further 67 million children of primary school age are not in primary school and 72 million adolescents of lower secondary school age are also missing out their right to an education.

As UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova declared on the occasion of this year’s World Literacy Day (8 September 2011) ‘this is an infringement of human rights and fundamental freedoms, and a threat to peace and security’.

PPN encourages to share your ideas on how to address this pressing problem here!