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By Stella Chege, Programme Officer<\/strong><\/p>\n The international literacy day is celebrated each year on the 8th of September to remind the public of the importance of literacy as a matter of dignity and human rights, and to advance the literacy agenda towards a more literate and sustainable society. This year, the theme is \u201ctransforming literacy spaces\u201d with a focus on rethinking the fundamental importance of literacy learning spaces to build resiliency and ensure quality, equitable and inclusive education for all. As we commemorate the world literacy day, we need to reflect on why 55 years on, 11% of the world\u2019s population is illiterate and what should happen to ensure 100% literacy globally.<\/p>\n UNESCO\u2019s definition of literacy describes a \u201cmeans of identification, understanding, interpretation, creation, and communication in an increasingly digital, text-mediated, information-rich and fast-changing world<\/em>[1]<\/a>\u201d. This goes beyond the conventional definition of literacy as the acquisition of reading, writing, and counting skills but as a fundamental foundational skill underpinning acquisition of knowledge. \u00a0Illiteracy therefore is the inability to read and write (with understanding) a short simple phrase in one\u2019s everyday life. It also encompasses the inability to conduct simple numerical calculations in everyday life.<\/p>\n In 2019, the World Bank launched the learning poverty indicator to track the global learning crisis. \u00a0The learning poverty rate measures the proportion of children who are unable to read a simple text with comprehension by age 10[2]<\/a>. It serves as an early warning on how education systems are faring on the acquisition of foundational skills with high levels of learning poverty pointing to failing education systems. \u00a0<\/p>\n Despite all the progress made in ensuring universal access to quality education, 771 million people globally -of which 2\/3 are women- are considered illiterate[3]<\/a>. According to UNESCO, Africa hosts 17 out of 20 countries with the lowest literacy levels[4]<\/a>. Additionally, children in Sub-Saharan Africa suffer from the worst learning poverty. In 2019, the learning poverty rate in Africa was 86 percent[5]<\/a>. This is expected to rise, due to the effects of the COVID 19 pandemic on learning. The pandemic exacerbated an already existing crisis, rolling back gains that had been won over the past decades.\u00a0 In Africa over 250 million children were out of school for the greater part of 2020 and 2021.\u00a0 Due to Covid driven school closures, children only learned on average 5-20% of what they usually learn. According to Human Rights watch[6]<\/a>, 40% of countries in sub\u2013Saharan African countries did not provide any remote learning strategies because they were grossly unprepared for an emergency of that magnitude.\u00a0 The pandemic saw an Increase in incidences of school dropout and child marriages. It is estimated that globally, 10 million children will not return to school after the pandemic.<\/p>\n What contributes to the poor state of literacy<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Schools have inadequate literacy programs<\/em>. Without a strong literacy foundation all efforts to bolster educational attainment in the higher levels of education become more difficult to sustain.<\/p>\n Underfunding:<\/em> Though providing universal access does not automatically lead to poor quality, adequate allocation of resources is necessary to ensure that quality is maintained. In many countries in Africa, universal access has translated into overcrowded and underfunded schools due to inadequate resourcing.<\/p>\n Inadequate teacher training and investment in teacher education<\/em>, particularly at the foundational levels leads to poor acquisition of basic skills for learners.<\/p>\n Lack of or inadequate access to reading resources and materials in and out of school<\/em>.<\/p>\n Intergenerational education inequalities<\/em> lead to poor outcomes for children who\u2019s care givers have low levels of literacy. Research shows that boosting mother\u2019s or caregivers\u2019 literacy may be one of the best ways to improve children\u2019s academic achievement[7]<\/a>.<\/p>\n Children in difficult circumstances including conflict, extreme poverty or children engaged in child labor are the most disproportionately affected by learning poverty and the least likely to acquire functional literacy skills unless timely interventions are made. \u00a0<\/p>\n Recommendations<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Photo credits: FAWE Kenya<\/strong><\/p>\n References<\/strong><\/p>\n [1]<\/a> What you need to know about literacy | UNESCO<\/a><\/p>\n [2]<\/a> https:\/\/thedocs.worldbank.org\/en\/doc\/e52f55322528903b27f1b7e61238e416-0200022022\/original\/Learning-poverty-report-2022-06-21-final-V7-0-conferenceEdition.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n [3]<\/a> What you need to know about literacy | UNESCO<\/a> \u00a0<\/p>\n [4]<\/a> UNESCO, September 2020<\/p>\n [5]<\/a> World Bank Et al, June 2022<\/p>\n [6]<\/a> Human Rights Watch, Sept 2020<\/p>\n [7]<\/a> https:\/\/www.nih.gov\/news-events\/news-releases\/improving-mothers-literacy-skills-may-be-best-way-boost-childrens-achievement<\/a><\/p>\n [8]<\/a> https:\/\/www.cde.state.co.us\/node\/43730<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
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