At opening of 58th International Literacy Day activities: PM highlights importance of literacy in peace consolidation.

He was speaking at the opening ceremony of commemorative activities to mark the 58^th International Literacy Day in Yaounde, Monday. 

It was organised by the Ministry of Basic Education with the support of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, UNESCO.

Delegates to the event are drawn from 52 countries. Meanwhile, members of government, education partners and stakeholders attended the opening ceremony.

The event which ends today is taking place under the theme: “Promoting multilingual education: Literacy for mutual understanding and peace”.

The PM said the 58^th edition of the International Literacy Day is an occasion for stakeholders to promote literacy as a tool for the empowerment of peoples, communities and societies. 

He regretted that many living languages are at the risk of extinction. This, he said, is despite the number of people using multiple languages in their daily lives being on the rise globally.

“Since languages are crucial tools for communications and knowledge management, as well as important for preserving identities, it is essential to use and protect everyone’s first language in everyday life in the public sphere,” Dion Ngute stated.

He said statistics show 40% of the world’s population still lacks access to education in their spoken or understood language. 

In Africa, the PM said eight out of ten children are taught in a language other than their mother tongue. 

According to Dion Ngute, this hinders the acquisition of basic literacy skills and undermines linguistic diversity. The situation, he went on, establishes epistemological and cultural gaps which can be detrimental to building inclusive societies.

Call for international action 

The Prime Minister called for “international solidarity” against “situations that threaten peace at the regional, national or global level”.  

He was also emphatic that “together, we must address the root causes of terrorism, injustice, and neglect so that we can live in harmony and create a fairer and safer world”.

To further buttress his point, the PM quoted President Paul Biya’s response to the diplomatic corps on the 5th of January 2024, in which the Head of State, said: “It is imperative that dialogue and conciliation takes precedence over confrontation and conflict for the survival of humanity. It is vital for the guns to be silenced and the voices of wisdom and reason can be heard”.

Enter UNESCO Director General 

Speaking earlier, the Director General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, expressed gratitude to Cameroon for being a wonderful host. 

She said the theme of this year’s celebration is particularly important to Cameroon with over 250 mother tongues.

Azoulay said UNESCO is working to the government to incorporate first languages into official school programmes. She also talked of an ambitious partnership between the organisation and Cameroon in several areas.

Over 26B FCFA to boost education

The UNESCO boss used yesterday’s event to announced that, her organisation has been chosen to implement an education reform program in Cameroon. 

He said the project comes with “a 44.5-million-dollar contribution, approximately FCFA 26.4 billion, financed by the Global Partnership for Education”.

She promised UNESCO’s support for training of more than 15,000 teachers and 13,000 school directors. 

Azoulay also said her organisation will also assist Cameroon in reviewing “the learning curriculum” to ensure contemporary inclusive issues are addressed. 

She also promised school meals for children insisting that they are essential to boosting knowledge acquisition in children.

Tit-bits of opening ceremony

The ceremony was accentuated with poems and sketches celebrating cultural diversity and peaceful coexistence in Cameroon. Senegalese writer Boubacar Boris Diop did a presentation on national languages. 

UNESCO international literacy prizes were awarded to some meritorious individuals. Other side events were notably exhibitions on literacy initiatives.

About the World Literacy Day 

The International Literacy Day was declared by UNESCO on October 26, 1966 at the 14^th session of UNESCO’s General Conference. 

With an international observance status, the day is celebrated each year on September 8, to remind policy-makers, practitioners, and the public of the critical importance of literacy in creating more literate, just, peaceful, and sustainable societies.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post issue N0:3225 of Tuesday September 10, 2024