Dr. Fehmida Mirza, Speaker, National Assembly has said that Literacy was imperative for sustainable human
development in today’s complex and fast-changing societies. Therefore,
we should strengthen our commitment to promoting global literacy and to
back this support with resources needed to achieve real progress.
She said that in her message on the International Literacy Day is
being commemorated worldwide under the auspices of United Nations today
(Thursday). She said that this day serves us an opportunity to renew
our international obligation and put the spotlight on the empowering
role of literacy and its importance for participation, citizenship and
development.
She said that literacy is not just about reading and writing, it is
about self-respect and human dignity and about opportunities that give
hope to individuals, families, communities and entire societies.
Literacy and integral part of the right to education has shown itself
time and time again to be a vital tool of empowerment. It is time for
the right of education to all person, of whatever age, to be realized
in practice in order to help to eradicate extreme poverty and increase
opportunities besides promoting gender equality and environment
sustainability, she said.
Dr. Fehmida Mirza said that despite the fact that education and
knowledge are the necessary passports to a better life; the scale of
illiteracy is truly staggering. It is really astonishing that more than
800 million adults – of them women – have no secure command of the
fundamentals of literacy; millions of children are not in school and
even for those who get a start on t heir education, drop-out rates are
very high. She said that “even the simplest acquisition of literacy can
have a profoundly empowering effect personally, socially and
politically”.
She said that we should focus on the empowering role of literacy
since literacy gives people tools with which to improve their
livelihoods, participate in community decision-making, gain access to
information about health care, and much else besides. About all, it
enables individuals to realize their rights as citizen and human
beings, she added.
Dr. Fehmida Mirza called upon Provincial Governments, international
organizations, civil society organizations and private sector to give
renewed attention and support to literacy as a vital instrument for
achieving sustainable development especially in the rural areas. She
said that each of us can make a contribution and all can be part of the
solution. SANA
