By Amanda Hawker
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| Image courtesy of UNESCO |
Today, September 8th 2014, is International Literacy Day - a
day to raise awareness of literacy and its importance in our world.
According to UNESCO, approximately 774 million adults lack the minimum
literacy skills and one in five adults cannot read or write at all – and
two-thirds of these are women. Approximately
75 million children are out of school and many more attend school irregularly
or are forced to drop out for a number of reasons.
The theme for this year is "Literacy and Sustainable
Development". Literacy is one of the key skills needed to cultivate and promote
a culture of sustainable development. It empowers people and societies so they
can make the right decisions about economic growth, social development and
environmental conservation.
For centuries, Africa has carried the perception of being the “dark
continent”, a myth that many unscrupulous organisations and world powers have
worked hard to cultivate because a divided Africa is a weak Africa. Africa has
some of the world's fastest growing economies, with roughly one third of our
continent's 54 countries reporting more than 6% GDP growth.
Yet, many countries in Africa
are struggling to meet the challenge of providing young people with the skills
needed to find decent work. Youth unemployment remains high, and young people
are not developing the entrepreneurial skills to create employment in growing
sectors. Literacy, along with numeracy, enables our children to
participate completely in their education and subsequently in further
education, work and other roles, which allows them to live a life of
value.
Knowledge is power. It is only through education that we can find the
means to empower ourselves and our communities. And literacy is a key part of
this process. As we join the rest of the world in celebrating International
Literacy Day, let us acknowledge that it is only when we completely eradicate illiteracy
that we will be able to fully prosper as a continent.