International Literacy Day 2022: History, Significance, Theme, and Quotes

International Literacy Day 2022: Here's everything you should know about it.

International Literacy Day 2022: The day is celebrated to spread awareness about the importance of education and literacy.

(Photo: iStock)

International Literacy Day is celebrated evey year on 8 September to create awareness among people about the importance of education and literacy. One of the primary goals of International Literacy Day is to convey the importance of literacy and its necessity to individuals and societies, and create literate and well-educated communities across all languages, globally.

Let us read about the theme, history, significance, and some inspirational quotes for the day.

What Is the Theme of International Literacy Day 2022?

The theme for this year's International Literacy Day is "Transforming Literacy Learning Spaces." The theme focuses on taking critical measures to make sure that every individual receives a high-quality, equitable, and inclusive education, which is extremely important for the betterment of society.

What Is the History & Significance of International Literacy Day 

The history of International Literacy Day dates back to the World Conference of Ministers of Education in Tehran held in 1965, regarding the irradication of illiteracy. However, UNESCO on 26 October 1996 officially recognized 8 September as World Literacy Day keeping in view the increasing rates of illiteracy, unemployment, and poverty during that time.

The main idea behind celebrating this day is to educate and motivate people to pursue education so that they will be able to differentiate between right and wrong. Education is the fundamental right of every individual and people must know it. Effective literacy skills provide numerous educational and employment opportunities to people that help them become independent and get rid of poverty and unemployment.

One of the essential goals of International Literacy Day is to create public awareness globally about the importance of expansion of knowledge and developing technological skills to keep up with the pace of the rapidly changing world.

According to UNESCO, despite the steady rise in literacy rates over the past 50 years, there are still 773 million illiterate adults around the world, most of whom are women. These numbers produced by the UIS are a stark reminder of the work ahead to meet the Sustainable Development Goals, especially target 4.6 of the SDGs to ensure that all youth achieve literacy and numeracy by 2030.

International Literacy Day 2022: Inspirational Quotes

• "Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today." -Malcolm X

• “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” -Mahatma Gandhi

• "Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school." -Albert Einstein

• "The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet." -Aristotle

• “Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a more clever devil.” -C.S. Lewis

• "Literacy is the most basic currency of the knowledge economy." -Barack Obama

• "An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." -Benjamin Franklin

• "Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” -John Dewey

• “Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army.” -Edward Everett

• "The ratio of literacy to illiteracy is constant, but nowadays the illiterates can read and write." -Alberto Moravia

• “Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope. It is a tool for daily life in modern society. It is a bulwark against poverty, and a building block of development, an essential complement to investments in roads, dams, clinics, and factories. Literacy is a platform for democratization, and a vehicle for the promotion of cultural and national identity. Especially for girls and women, it is an agent of family health and nutrition. For everyone, everywhere, literacy is, along with education in general, a basic human right. Literacy is, finally, the road to human progress and the means through which every man, woman, and child can realize his or her full potential.” -Kofi Annan

• “Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope.” -Kofi Anan

• "Education is the most powerful weapon with which you can change the world." -Nelson Mandela

• "To get the medium's magic to work for one's aims rather than against them is to attain literacy." -Alan Kay