The goal behind the foundation of International Literacy Day and other initiatives for literacy remains to achieve literacy and education for all countries, classes, genders, ages at least at the basic level.
Today its definitely a point of jubilation that the number of literate people in the world is approx. four billion, but, the aim to have an “All Literate World” remains a dream as today one in five adults is still not literate and two-thirds of them are women while 75 million children are out of school. There have been many lacunas in different areas that have made this dream an ever chasing target.
Although there are very ambitious dreams but there are no parallel and leveled efforts and infrastructure to achieve the same. Also, the complexity and level of the mission has been underestimated. All these results of the past have very well emphasized the need to develop an infrastructure that imbibes not only plans and strategies but a system with implementation at all levels- National, local and international.
Renewed Vision:
From the past experimenting and understanding, UNESCO’s mission for literacy has been revising and renewing every year. Today UN does not model a single view for literacy. The basic understanding of who is literate and who is illiterate has also modifies since years.
Also with respect to the growing changers in social, economic and technical fields the use of literacy has also evolved. Initially, the ability to read, write and understand was considered as literacy, but today it it about using it all in a useful manner. Literacy today is not only academic knowledge but across different facets of life.