By Khushi Namdev
“Literacy is not a luxury, it is a right and responsibility.”
Literacy is a fundamental right of each and every individual, it allows people to acquire knowledge, skills, values, attitudes, behaviours, and what not! It serves as a getaway to exercise human rights, expanding freedom, and fostering global relationships.
Declared in 1966 by UNESCO, World Literacy Day is observed every year on 8th September. It aims to highlight the importance of education and knowledge for individuals, communities, and societies. But in recent years the organisation has come to realise that literacy is not just limited to the matter of reading and writing.
The world has changed rapidly; whether we discuss digitization, technology, or the rise of AI in the modern world, the tactics and understanding of literacy have evolved from their traditional meanings.
This year, UNESCO is celebrating World Literacy Day under the theme “Promoting Literacy in the Digital Era”. Digitisation has transformed how we live, learn, work, and socialise in both negative and positive ways. While the digital tools have the potential to provide exceptional learning opportunities to the marginalized, they also bring the risk of exclusion along with it.
At the same time, digitization also comes with a new set of challenges related to privacy, surveillance, ethical concerns, biased systems, risk of passive content consumption, and massive environmental damage.
On the brighter side, education is moving from basic literacy to true digital fluency. Whether it’s AI making it more personal, engaging, and creative, the educators are also stepping into the role of becoming guides by taking support from the various sources of technology.
Today, both digital literacy and AI fluency have become essential for economic empowerment. With an increasing call for early training in AI, coding, and mobile-first tools, particularly in rural areas, to prepare learners to match the pace of the fast-changing job market.