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International Literacy Day today
Karachi, Sep 8: Today (September 8) is International World Literacy Day as
nominated by the United Nations (UN).
This year's theme, 'Literacy
sustains development', emphasises that literacy is not only a positive outcome
of development but also a harbinger of change and an instrument for achieving
further social progress. Literacy is a cause for celebration since there are now
approximately four billion literate people in the world. However, literacy for
all - children, youth and adults - is still an unaccomplished goal. A
combination of ambitious goals, insufficient and parallel efforts, inadequate
resources and strategies, and continued underestimation of the magnitude and
complexity of the task accounts for this unmet goal. Lessons learnt over the
recent decades show that meeting the goal of universal literacy calls not only
for more effective efforts but also for renewed political will.
September 8 is an occasion to give hope to millions of women, men and
children, who cannot read or write even their own names. International Literacy
Day is a timely reminder to the world about the importance of literacy for
individuals, families, communities and society on the whole. "Literacy is not
merely a cognitive skill of reading, writing and arithmetic, for literacy helps
in the acquisition of learning life skills that, when strengthened by usage and
application throughout people's lives, lead to forms of individual, community
and societal development that are sustainable," said KoÔchiro Matsuura, the
director general of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organisation (Unesco) in his message on the occasion of International Literacy
Day 2006.
To commemorate this day, events are organised worldwide to
raise public awareness and support for literacy. The United Nations General
Assembly has declared that the period from 2003-2012 will be known as the United
Nations Literacy Decade (UNLD).
Several events are also being organised
in Karachi to mark International Literacy Day. The Child Rights Forum organised
a demonstration on Friday in front of the Karachi Press Club (KPC) to
commemorate Literacy Day and remind literate people of their responsibility to
spread literacy in the country.
Helping Hands of the Bahria University
(HHBU) is celebrating the day to highlight various issues relating to literacy
in Pakistan. The aim of the event, according to the HHBU, is to extend financial
assistance for the cause of improving literacy in the country.
The
importance of the literacy will be discussed in various departments of the
University of Karachi (KU) and students will be asked to teach at least two or
three people to make them literate in a few months time. The news
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