Celebrations of the International Literacy Day in Mariental, Hardap region, NamibiaOn 8 September 2013, as for more than 40 years now, UNESCO celebrated literacy as the foundation of all learning on International Literacy Day around the globe. “Literacy for enlarging livelihood opportunities” served as Namibia’s national theme and of course also in Namibia this day could not possibly go unnoticed. The latter especially since the country had more than one thing to celebrate for and be proud of. This day was however not only the endpoint of a weeklong celebration of adult learning and an overall focus on the vital and paramount importance of literacy as a human right -a commitment that both Namibia and UNESCO share- this year it was also, and this is especially exciting, the celebration of a well-deserved prize for the country. The “National Literacy Programme” of the Directorate of Adult Education has in fact been granted the Confucius prize, one of the two annual UNESCO Literacy prizes awarded by an international jury. The ascription of this prize recognizes the strong commitment of the Government of Namibia and congratulates it for its literacy programmes that have significantly increased the Namibian literacy rate by almost 24% over less than 10 years. This meaningful achievement deserved to be acknowledged.
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Publication Date | 13 Sep 2013 |