91Â鶹¹ú²ú¾«Æ·×ÔÅÄ

These awards were presented during the International Literacy Day celebrations hosted on 9 September in Yaoundé, Cameroon at the initiative of the President of the Republic of Cameroon, Paul Biya.  

This year’s theme, ‘Promoting multilingual education: Literacy for mutual understanding and peace’ underscores that not only multilingual approaches are instrumental in developing literacy competencies; it also supports intercultural dialogue, mutual understanding, and peace. 

Since 1967, UNESCO's International Literacy Prizes have rewarded more than 500 individuals, organizations and institutions for the excellence, innovation and impact of their field initiatives to advance literacy worldwide.

UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize

The UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize, sponsored by the Government of the Republic of Korea, recognizes contributions to mother language-based literacy development. It is awarded to:

• 'voXmi educational network’ programme by University Colleges of Teacher Education (Austria). Since 2008, this initiative has connected over 60 educational institutions to promote multilingual education. It combats exclusion and discrimination by integrating diverse languages into the classroom, and helps teachers adapting to multilingual settings.

• The ‘Libraries Without Walls’ programme by the Foundation for Educational Equity and Development (Ghana). This initiative focuses on improving literacy for underserved children and youth. Since 2017, it has reached over 3,000 children annually, mostly girls and women, through mobile libraries that give access to books for children and communities in remote areas. 

• 'ProEd LECTO LABS’ programme by Fundación ProEd (Panama). Established in 2007, the programme offered training and professional development to more than 700 teachers in marginalized communities, focusing on modern literacy methods and benefitting to approximately 35,000 students. It provides teachers with 80 hours of training and support for setting up schoolbook clubs. A new 'ProEd Kids' after-school programme will be launched to further support children.

Each of the three UNESCO King Sejong laureates will receive an endowment of US$ 20,000, a medal and a diploma.

UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy

The UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy, sponsored by the Government of the People’s Republic of China, recognizes contributions to functional literacy leveraging digital tools in support of adults in rural areas and out-of-school youth. It is awarded to:

• The 'Illiteracy Eradication Project' by Mansoura University (Egypt). Since 2019, this project has trained university students to provide literacy courses in rural areas, improving lives and addressing gender disparities. Over 130,000 learners have graduated from it, raising the literacy exam success rate from 69% to 95%.

• The 'Sokola literacy education for indigenous Indonesians' programme by the Sokola Institute (Indonesia) empowers indigenous communities with literacy and advocacy skills. The programme blends first-language instruction with national languages and ethnographic methods to preserve cultures and teach broader skills. It has educated 1,000 learners since its inception, with 200 participants, including 40% of girls and women.

• ‘FastTrack' programme by the Aid for Rural Education Access Initiative (Nigeria). Since 2014, AREAi has supported under-resourced schools and marginalized communities, focusing on refugee and displaced children. The programme uses bilingual instruction and offline technology, benefiting over 19,000 children, mostly girls, since 2021.

Each of the three UNESCO Confucius laureates will receive an endowment of US$ 30,000, a medal and a diploma.

Organized by UNESCO and hosted by the Government of Cameroon, the global celebrations gathered more than 500 government representatives, development partners, experts, and educators to enhance literacy policies, lifelong learning systems, governance and programmes. The Conference also included a keynote speech by Boubacar Boris Diop, the renowned writer from Senegal, providing valuable insights to advance literacy and multilingualism globally. 

Key facts and figures on literacy 

Despite global efforts, literacy challenges remain significant, with 754 million adults (over 15 years old) - almost two-thirds of whom are women – still lack basic reading and writing skills. Additionally, 250 million children are out of school.Progress has been slow and uneven. In 2022, literacy rates among elderly women in some sub-Saharan African countries were as low as 10%, while in several European and North American countries, 99% of male youth and adults were literate. Additionally, over half of the world’s population is bilingual, yet 40% lack access to education in a language they speak or understand.

• Follow #LiteracyDay