International Literacy Day is celebrated every year on September 8th to highlight the importance of literacy in society and to promote literacy initiatives worldwide. This year, the celebration will extend to September 9th and 10th, and the theme is “Promoting multilingual education: Literacy for mutual understanding and peace.” This theme underscores the role of literacy as a powerful tool for fostering peace and mutual understanding in our increasingly multilingual world. The live event will be streamed from Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Literacy can have many meanings. UNESCO considers “literacy” to be:

‘”Literacy’….refer(s) to reading, writing and numeracy skills. Literacy is herein understood as a continuum of proficiency in these skills, and as ‘the ability to read and write, to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate and compute, using printed and written materials, as well as the ability to solve problems in an increasingly technological and information-rich environment” (UNESCO, 2016).

Challenges in Achieving Full Literacy

These key statistics outline global literacy challenges, particularly in multilingual and crisis-affected contexts:

• In 2023, at least 754 million people aged 15+ lacked basic literacy and numeracy skills. Literacy rates rose from 85% to 87% between 2015 and 2023.
• Progress remains uneven: 63% of adults lacking basic literacy skills are women, totaling 475 million. This has not changed for decades.
• 108 million displaced people struggle with literacy and digital access. Only 30% of youth in crisis-affected areas are literate.
• Reading proficiency in 2019 (grade 2/3): 36% in sub-Saharan Africa, 68% in Latin America, and 94% in Oceania. Math proficiency: 51% in sub-Saharan Africa, 65% in Latin America, and 71% in Oceania. 250 million children are out of school.
• Literacy challenges are shaped by gender, age, location, income, and disability. In 2022, literacy rates for elderly women in some sub-Saharan countries were as low as 10%.
• More than half the global population uses two or more languages daily, but 40% lack education in a language they understand. Over 31 million displaced youth are learning in a language different from their native one. Multilingualism is increasingly common.

Literacy and Academic Libraries

One tenet of building literacy is a lifelong learning ecosystem consisting of government, political will, legal frameworks, and adequate resources. Academic libraries can help bridge language gaps and facilitate access to knowledge for all students, regardless of their linguistic background. One particular initiative by the Association of College & Research Libraries was the creation of a multilingual glossary of common library terms for library patrons. Engaging with content in multiple languages is often a prerequisite for academic success and global citizenship.

Furthermore, The statistic that more than half the global population uses two or more languages daily has a direct bearing on academic library services. In promoting multilingual literacy for mutual understanding and peace (this year’s theme!), we need to consider:

• How can libraries better integrate multilingual literacy into their collections, services, and programs to support the needs of a diverse student body?
• What partnerships can libraries forge with faculty, community organizations, and other stakeholders to promote multilingual education and foster a culture of inclusivity?
• How can libraries leverage technology to enhance access to multilingual resources and support language learning and cross-cultural communication?

Conclusion

International Literacy Day 2024 offers an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to literacy as a fundamental human right and a powerful tool for promoting mutual understanding and peace. Multilingual education can create more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable societies.

For the agenda and more information on International Literacy Day 2024, visit UNESCO’s website.

 

Kevin Gunn is Coordinator of Digital Scholarship and the library liaison to the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures.

 

Further Reading

Association of College & Research Libraries. 2018. Multilingual Glossary for Today’s Library Users.

Global Education Monitoring Report and UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). 2023. SDG 4 mid-term progress review: progress since 2015 has been far too slow.

Office of Global Strategies. The Catholic University of America.

Okonkwo, E. A., Cocodia, B., & Uba, E. E. 2022. “Listening to the unheard and unseen: Information literacy perspectives of the rural bi/multilinguals in Nigeria.” Journal of Information Science.

UNESCO. Infographics for International Literacy Day 2024.

UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning. 2016. Recommendation on Adult Learning and Education, 2015.

UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Database.