Newswise — International Literacy Day, celebrated around the world on September 8, focuses attention on global literacy. An estimated 860 million adults cannot read or write, and more than 100 million children lack access to education, according to the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). While these figures are bleak, they represent an improvement, as more nations seek to create quality education for all.
Since 1979, the International Reading Association (IRA) has recognized outstanding literacy programs through the annual International Reading Association Literacy Award, presented by UNESCO on International Literacy Day. The US$15,000 award has benefited programs in every region of the world.
MaryEllen Vogt, IRA's president, commented, "International Literacy Day is so important to the cause of literacy worldwide. I join with 300,000 IRA members and affiliates in nearly 100 countries in honoring professionals and volunteers who, working without much recognition or appreciation, change lives for the better. I congratulate this year's international literacy award winners and applaud the successes of their adult students. When adults gain literacy, their children are promised a better future."
The winner of the 2004 International Reading Association Literacy Award is L'Edikasyon pu travayer (LPT), a nongovernmental organization in Mauritius. LPT's adult literacy program offers people the opportunity to learn to read and write using their mother language. In fact, the LPT has developed the first Mauritian Creole dictionary along with other reading materials that cover every aspect of learners' lives.
The International Reading Association is joining The Center for the Book at the Library of Congress for an International Literacy Day celebration on September 8, from 12:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. at the Madison Building, 101 Independence Avenue, SE, Washington, D.C. Remarks will be made by IRA executive director Alan Farstrup and John Y. Cole, director of The Center for the Book. A panel will discuss "Supporting teachers as a cornerstone of education reform in the U.S. and internationally." Panelists are MaryEllen Vogt, president of IRA, Barbara Kapinus, senior policy analyst and program consultant for the National Education Association, and Alan Farstrup.
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