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UN Secretary-General: â€œThe scale of illiteracy is truly staggering in the worldâ€

07 September 2009 09:11 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Lachin Sultanova â€“ APA. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued a message on the International Literacy Day, Azerbaijan office of the UN Public Information Department told APA. The message says:
â€œIn a world of enormous wealth, in a world in which education and knowledge are the necessary passports to a better life, the scale of illiteracy is truly staggering. Approximately 776 million adults â€“ most of them women â€“ have no secure command of the fundamentals of literacy and numeracy. Seventy-five million children are not in school. And even for those who get a start on their education, drop-out rates are very high. Yet it wouldnâ€™t take much to change the appalling status quo.â€
Ban Ki-moon says that this yearâ€™s observance focuses on the empowering role of literacy.
â€œLiteracy 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. Above all, it enables individuals to realize their rights as citizens and human beings. On this International Literacy Day, I urge all partners to strengthen their commitment to promoting global literacy and to back this support with the resources needed to achieve real progress,â€ he says.