International Literacy Day

8th of September was declared as the International Literacy Day by UNESCO in the year 1966. This international observance is aimed at reminding the importance of literacy for individuals, communities and societies, and to intensify the efforts towards creating more literate societies globally. First ever Literacy day was celebrated in the year 1967.

International Literacy Day 2023

Fri , 8th Sep 2023

Celebrations of International Literacy Day is celebrated every year based on the specific themes published in line with “Education For All” goals by UNESCO. This year International Literacy Day - 2021 will be celebrated under the theme “Literacy for a human-centered recovery: Narrowing the digital divide”.

International Literacy day is also celebrated in line with “The UN's Sustainable Development Agenda”, adopted by world leaders in September 2015. This agenda aims at promoting universal access to quality education and learning opportunities throughout people’s lives.

International Literacy day (ILD) celebration by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is aimed at

Developing national literacy policies and strategies.
Addressing the learning needs of disadvantaged groups, particularly women and girls.
Leveraging digital technologies to expand access and improve learning outcomes.
Monitoring progress and assessing literacy skills and programs

Every year many competitions, seminars and online events are organized to create awareness on the importance of literacy and to address the concerns different communities face in exercising their “right to education”.

The theme is to explore how literacy can contribute to building a solid foundation for a human-centred recovery, with major focus on the interplay of both literacy and digital skills required by non-literate youth & adults. This also allows us to explore ways to make technology-enabled literacy (learning through digital modes) more inclusive and meaningful. UNESCO believes only by doing so, we can create an opportunity to reimagine future literacy teaching and learning, within and beyond the context of the prevailing pandemic situation.