In Focus

International Literacy Day falls on Sept. 8

The United Nations' (UN) International Literacy Day annually falls on September 8 to raise people's awareness of and concern for literacy issues in the world. On this day each year, UNESCO reminds the international community of the status of literacy and adult learning globally.

Despite many and varied efforts, literacy remains an elusive target. According to UNESCO, about 774 million adults lack the minimum literacy skills.

One in five adults is still not literate and two-thirds of them are women. About 75 million children are out-of-school and many more attend irregularly or drop out. However, literacy is also a cause for celebration on the day because there are nearly four billion literate people in the world.Even in our country there are many children and adults too who are not literate.

The definition of literacy and a literate person is vast according to UNESCO. A literate person is one, who can, with understanding, both read and write a short statement relevant to routine life, and capable of analytical understanding of men's condition in the world. Literacy is a means of personal liberation and development and delivering individuals educational efforts.

Literacy is a method of achieving faculties to develop their economic status and general well being and inculcating values of national integration, conservation of surroundings, gender's equality, observance of standard family tradition, and so on.

The UN General Assembly proclaimed a 10-year period beginning on January 1, 2003, as the United Nations Literacy Decade. The assembly also welcomed the International Plan of Action for the Decade and decided for UNESCO to take a coordinating role in activities at an international level within the decade's framework. This day was first celebrated on September 8, 1966 The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and its partners promote the day to underline the significance of literacy for healthy societies, with a strong emphasis on epidemics and communicable diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis and malaria.

News in brief

by Rohana JAYALAL

Re- registering IDP students

The Higher Education Ministry has decided to re-register over 500 displaced students in Jaffna who applied for university entrance but did not receive it.

This is in keeping with a Cabinet paper approved by the government to provide an opportunity to students in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, who are registered but unable to pursue their studies, and also for those who are qualified but could not get registered for study courses due to the ethnic conflict.

An egg a day

A project to ensure at least an egg to a child of families in Jaffna affected by malnutrition will be implemented, Kumudu Wadugedara of the Civil Affairs and Public Relations office of the Jaffna peninsula said.

He said malnutrition among the students in the peninsula is acute.He also said that the Security Forces have initiated a number of measures to uplift the living standards of the people and a backyard poultry project is in progress to eradicate malnutrition among the children in the peninsula.

Early childhood development

The Child Development and Women's Empowerment Ministry will streamline various early childhood development programmes as many of these programmes have not borne the desired results and are not in keeping with the child's mentality, a Child Development and Women's Empowerment Ministry sources said.

According to the source, many Government and Non-government Organizations are conducting early childhood development programmes.

The Children Secretariat of the Child Development and Women Empowerment Ministry will formulate the national policy standards for early childhood development.