International Literacy Day is celebrated on 8 September each year. It is an opportunity for Governments, policymakers, and stakeholders to highlight improvements in world literacy rates. It reflects on the world’s remaining literacy challenges. Last year’s theme “Promoting multilingual education for inclusion in and through education: Literacy”. Highlights the role of access to diverse language spaces in achieving Universal literacy.
- UNESCO states that About 770 million adults in the world can not read or write.
- India has the largest adult illiterate population in the world — over 270 million people cannot read or write.
- It has been proven that students gain cognitive benefits, decision-making skills, and a broader understanding of languages as well.
The Benefits of Multilingual Education
- Studies have suggested that speaking more than one language can improve cognitive skills such as memory, perception, or problem-solving.
- Educating multilingualism helps for a better comprehension of other cultures and beliefs. Facilitates social integration at all levels throughout any community.
- Being multilingual can lead to new job prospects and career growth.
- Multilingualism is a way to bridge our differences as people and bring us closer together on the same plane of existence.
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On September 6, 2024, SAI International Residential School’s Founder's Memorial Series Assembly marked International Literacy Day with a focus on literacy as a means of empowerment and social advancement. #InternationalLiteracyDay #FoundersMemorialSeries #FoundersMemorial2024 pic.twitter.com/a3WQBYJpGs
— SAI International (@SAI_Edu_In) September 6, 2024
India, with 100+ languages and dialects practiced in both spoken language as well as written. They are bound to face a revolution by taking the initiative toward multilingual education. India must harness serious thought about:
- Save endangered languages to retain cultural customs
- In regions of linguistic diversity and development in all languages.
- Ensure that our fellow citizens go armed to face the challenges of a globalized world.
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