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Pismena osoba uvijek je izazivala poštovanje, ljudi su se ugledali na nju i slušali ju.

Godišnji Međunarodni dan pismenosti proglasio je UNESCO 1966. godine na Svjetskoj konferenciji ministara obrazovanja o iskorjenjivanju nepismenosti. Od tada je svaki 8. rujna posvećen Međunarodnom danu pismenosti.

Dakle, zašto je pismenost važna u životima pojedinaca i društava i zašto je potrebno povećati napore za njezino širenje?

Pismenost je određeni stupanj sposobnosti osobe da čita i piše u skladu s gramatičkim normama svog materinjeg jezika. To je također jedan od osnovnih pokazatelja sociokulturne razvijenosti stanovništva. Glavni cilj ovog Dana je intenzivirati napore međunarodne zajednice u promicanju pismenosti kao alata za osnaživanje pojedinaca i zajednica.

Pismena osoba uvijek je izazivala poštovanje, ljudi su se ugledali na nju i slušali ju. Do danas je pismena osoba visoko cijenjena u društvu. U početku je pismenost bila sposobnost čitanja i pisanja na materinjem jeziku, no s vremenom je taj pojam dobio šire značenje. Sada se pismenom osobom može nazvati netko tko ima znanja iz raznih područja života.

Prema UNESCO-u, u svijetu ima 773 milijuna odraslih koji nemaju osnovne vještine pismenosti. Šestero od desetero djece i adolescenata ne dostiže minimalne razine znanja u čitanju i računanju. Otprilike 267 milijuna djece ne ide u školu.

To se posebno odnosi na pismenost među manjinama. Opća je činjenica da većina manjina živi u lošijim životnim uvjetima i da im ne mogu pohađati obrazovne institucije. Primjerice, trenutno je 10% Roma potpuno nepismeno. Stopa pismenosti dječaka i djevojčica ipak se razlikuje: 20% romskih dječaka je nepismeno u usporedbi s oko 25% djevojčica.

Postoji posebna, unaprijed postavljena skupina učenika koja se smatra nepismenom, a koja zahtijeva posebnu pažnju, posebno su to djevojčice i žene. Ponekad je muškarcima i dječacima isto tako uskraćen pristup kvalitetnom obrazovanju, također im je potrebna posebna pozornost. Uostalom, pravo na obrazovanje jedno je od osnovnih ljudskih prava i jedan je od temelja demokracije.

Osim toga, kriza s virusom COVID-19 poremetila je obrazovanje djece, mladih i odraslih u neviđenim razmjerima. To je dodatno povećalo već postojeće nejednakosti u pristupu opismenjavanju. Čak i u vrijeme globalne krize, bilo je napora da se pronađu alternativni načini za osiguranje kontinuiteta učenja, uključujući učenje na daljinu. Međutim, pristup mogućnostima opismenjavanja neravnomjerno je raspoređen. Brzi prijelaz na učenje na daljinu otkrio je problem pristupa internetu, neodgovarajuću infrastrukturu i mogućnost korištenja tehnologije, kao i dostupnosti struje, što ograničava prilike za učenje.

Uvijek je lijepo imati znanje o raznim temama, biti u stanju održati razgovor. Povijest poznaje mnogo primjera kada su ljudi učili čitati i pisati sami, bez škole. Tako je, primjerice, učinila poznata romska pjesnikinja Branislava Papusza. Roditelji je nisu puštali u školu, pa je ukradene kokoši zamijenila za satove pismenosti kod jedne Židovke.

Na ovaj je dan važno vidjeti što je poduzeto kako bi se podigla razina pismenosti čovječanstva, ali i napraviti plan kako nastaviti njezin daljnji rast.

A literate person always aroused respect, people looked up to him, listened to him.

The annual International Literacy Day was declared by UNESCO in 1966 at the World Conference of Ministers of Education on the Eradication of Illiteracy. Since then every 8th of September is dedicated to International Literacy Day.

So why is literacy important in the lives of individuals and societies, and why efforts to spread it need to be strengthened?

Literacy is a certain degree of a person's ability to read and write in accordance with the grammatical norms of their native language. It is also one of the basic indicators of the socio-cultural development of the population. The main goal of this Day is to intensify the efforts of the international community to promote literacy as a tool for empowering individuals, and communities.

A literate person always aroused respect, people looked up to him, listened to him. To this day a literate person is highly respected in the society. Initially, literacy was the ability to read and write in one's native language, but over time this concept has acquired a broader meaning. Now a literate person can be called someone who has knowledge in various areas of life.

According to UNESCO, there are 773 million adults in the world who lack basic literacy skills. Six out of ten children and adolescents do not reach the minimum levels of proficiency in reading and numeracy. Approximately 267 million children are not in school. 

This especially concerns the situation with literacy among minorities. It is a common fact that most minorities are living in poorer living conditions and lacking the ability to go to educational institutions. For example, currently, 10% of the Roma are completely illiterate. The literacy rate of boys and girls differs though: 20% of Roma boys are illiterate compared to about 25% of girls.

There is a perceived pre-set of illiteracy targeting groups of learners that require special attention, especially for women and girls left behind the doors of schools. Sometimes men and boys are as well denied access to quality education, they also need special attention. After all, the right for education is among the basic human rights and one of the roots of democracy.

In addition, the COVID-19 crisis has disrupted the education of children, youth and adults on an unprecedented scale. It further increased pre-existing inequalities in access to literacy opportunities. Even in times of global crisis, there have been efforts to find alternative ways to ensure the continuity of learning, including distance learning. However, access to literacy opportunities is distributed unevenly. The rapid shift to distance learning has also exposed the continuing digital division in terms of infrastructure and ability to use technology, as well as access to electricity, which limits learning opportunities.

It is always nice to have knowledge on various topics, to be able to keep up the conversation. History knows many examples when people learned to read and write on their own, without a school. So, for example, did the famous Roma poetess Branislava Papusza. Her parents wouldn't let her go to school, so she traded stolen chickens for literacy lessons from a Jewish woman.

On this day it is important to see what has been implemented to raise the literacy levels of humanity, but also to draw a plan on how to continue raising it further.