Proclaimed by UNESCO, the International Literacy Day 2021 (ILD on September 8 since 1976) is celebrated each year across the globe with a theme. And, the theme for this year is “Literacy for a human-centred recovery: Narrowing the digital divide” to create more awareness among the people and make serious efforts regarding imparting digital literacy to the populace.
According to UNESCO, the advancement of literacy agenda towards a more literate and sustainable society was essential since the serious literacy challenges continue to persist with 'at least 773 million young people and adults lacking basic literacy skills today' across the world as claimed on its website.
UNESCO insists that the focus of literacy drives in the present times should be on the following two things.
- Efforts and interventions for effective 'interplay of literacy and digital skills required by non-literate youth and adults'
- Creating 'technology-enabled literacy learning inclusive and meaningful to leave no one behind' by 'reimagining future literacy teaching and learning, within and beyond the context of the pandemic.'"The pandemic (COVID-19), however, was a reminder of the critical importance of literacy. Beyond its intrinsic importance as part of the right to education, literacy empowers individuals and improves their lives by expanding their capabilities to choose a kind of life they can value. It is also a driver for sustainable development. Literacy is an integral part of education and lifelong learning premised on humanism as defined by the Sustainable Development Goal 4. Literacy, therefore, is central to a human-centred recovery from the COVID-19 crisis," urges UNESCO.
UNESCO adds, "ILD 2021 will explore how literacy can contribute to building a solid foundation for a human-centred recovery, with a special focus on the interplay of literacy and digital skills required by non-literate youth and adults. It will also explore what makes technology-enabled literacy learning inclusive and meaningful to leave no one behind. By doing so, ILD2021 will be an opportunity to reimagine future literacy teaching and learning, within and beyond the context of the pandemic."
UNESCO had made the following points on the occasion of ILD observance this year.
-The COVID-19 crisis has disrupted the learning of children, young people and adults at an unprecedented scale. It has also magnified the pre-existing inequalities in access to meaningful literacy learning opportunities...Youth and adult literacy were absent in many initial national response plans, while numerous literacy programmes have been forced to halt their usual modes of operation.
-The rapid shift to distance learning also highlighted the persistent digital divide in terms of connectivity, infrastructure, and the ability to engage with technology, as well as disparities in other services such as access to electricity, which has limited learning options.
-It (literacy) is also a driver for sustainable development. Literacy is an integral part of education and lifelong learning premised on humanism as defined by the Sustainable Development Goal 4. Literacy, therefore, is central to a human-centred recovery from the COVID-19 crisis.
Leading economist of India who had been batting for ' needonomics' to meet the pandemic crisis, Prof MM Goel, VC of Starrex University in Gurugram, on ILD has messaged that there was need to re-imagine literacy by imparting digital and other kinds of literacies by synthesising with spiritual literacy. "Spiritual literacy is literature impacting spirituality designed to foster and support spirituality it via reading and writing for an individual human being...(And,) One can be spiritual without being religious." he wrote at Krctimes.com.
I too had been making efforts to learn different discplines via 'spiritual intelligence' based method of learning as advocated by various educational psychologists including the proponent of "Multiple Intelligence" theory of learning Prof Howard Gardner.
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