International Literacy Day: Beyond The Celebration

Literacy day is always celebrated across the world on 8th September. This year's celebration which was themed "Literacy and skills Development" is the 52nd edition.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation ( UNESCO) defines literacy as the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate and compute using printed and written materials associated in varying contexts.

According to UNESCO, as at 2015, about 774 million adults lacked the minimum literacy skills. One in five adults are still not literate and two- third of them are women; about 75 million children are out of school and many more attend irregularly and drop out.

However, literacy is celebrated in order to encourage formal education among the rank and file because there are nearly four billion literate people in the world.

Literacy day was first celebrated on September 8th, 1966. UNESCO's banners for that event featured the words, "Literacy is the best Remedy". The global literacy rate for all people aged 15 years and above is 86.3 per cent. The literacy rate for all males is 90 per cent, female 82.7 per cent. The rate varies throughout the world with developed nations having a rate of 99.2 per cent as at 2013, Oceania 71.3 per cent, South and West Asia having 70.2 per cent, sub- Saharan Africa, 64 per cent.

According to research carried out by UNESCO, the states where majority of the people cannot read or write are those in the North East, North West, and North Central. Statistics showed that as at 2017, Yobe State only had 7.23 per cent literacy rate, the lowest in Nigeria followed by Zamfara with 19.16 per cent, Katsina, 10.36 per cent; Sokoto, 15.01 per cent; Bauchi, 19.26 per cent; Kebbi, 20.51 per cent; Niger, 22.88 per cent while Taraba is an exception with 72 per cent.

These statistics showed that states in Northern Nigeria lagged behind in education. Data showed that as at 2015, youth illiteracy fell from 66.1 in 1991 to 62.1 per cent in 2015 while Nigeria adults literacy rate as at 2015 was 59.6 per cent.

All stakeholders have a role to play in order to address the issues of illiteracy as well as sustain literacy rate in Nigeria by reviewing the educational curriculum most especially the irrelevant ones. Also of importance is the need to correct the exclusion of women from adult education especially in the Northern part of Nigeria. Girls and women should be encouraged to go to school and more awareness should be created on the importance of education.

Provision of quality schools, relevant courses or subjects, well equipped laboratories and workshops, materials for practical work such as books, and adequate training equipment and seminar as well as the engagement of qualified teachers with necessary resources should be put in place for conducive learning environment.

Adult education should be made accessible so as to reduce illiteracy rate and the number of drop- outs in order to pave the way for younger generations to be literate.

Martins Kehinde Titilayo, Agbeloba, Abeokuta