UNESCO

Inmates from
the Valparaiso
Prison in Chile
receive training
as part of the
Literacy for People
Deprived of Liberty
programme.
This project was
one of the three
winners of the
2015 UNESCO
Confucius Prize
for Literacy.
30
Literacy in context
Acquiring basic skills such as literacy and
numeracy is an essential first step to enable
people to act as responsible citizens of the
world. UNESCO continues to promote and
encourage initiatives to improve literacy
levels worldwide and to expand people’s
capabilities and enable them to act as
responsible citizens of the world.
The 2015 theme for the UNESCO
International Literacy Prizes was ‘Literacy
and Sustainable Societies’. In a ceremony
at UNESCO Headquarters, the Director-
General awarded five prizes to original and
transformative literacy programmes from
Chile, Madagascar, Mozambique, Slovakia
and Sri Lanka. ‘Women and men all over
the world need literacy to take charge of
their lives,’ Ms Bokova said. ‘Literacy is
indispensable to raise awareness and gather
necessary grassroots participation in our
efforts to improve the way we care for
our planet and manage its resources. This
transformation can only happen if society’s
most vulnerable youth and adults acquire
basic literacy skills that equip them with
the knowledge and confidence to improve
their own lives and build more resilient
communities.’ Each of the five winners
received US $20,000, a diploma and a medal.
Celebrations for International Literacy
Day on 8 September included the awarding
of the UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy.
Among the three winners was the Juan Luis
Vives school in Chile. Its Literacy for People
Deprived of Liberty programme operates
in Valparaiso Prison, Rancagua Prison and
the Remand Centre Town of Casablanca,
and reaches around 150 inmates every
year, both men and women. Dr Sonia
Álvarez, Director of the school, said:
‘When we started, the first big challenge
was to put together a team of teachers.
It’s not enough to have a qualification;
these teachers need a calm temperament
because the challenges are permanent.’
The students had to be coaxed back to
education. ‘School did not mean much to
© UNESCO/Carolina Jerez
them because they didn’t feel welcome,’
she explained. ‘There were rules they
didn’t want to follow, conduct which was
punished. Over time these students began
to value our school.’
The two King Sejong Literacy
Prizes went to Associação Progresso, a
Mozambican NGO, for its effective ‘Literacy
in Local Languages, Springboard for Gender
Equality’ programme in Mozambican
languages, and Sri Lanka’s National
Institute of Education for its Open School
Programme, which addresses the learning
needs of disadvantaged groups.
Education for Sustainable
Development
Today’s learners are tomorrow’s
decision-makers. Education for
Sustainable Development (ESD) is
essential for the future of the world.
In December, the UN General
Assembly adopted resolution 70/209
recognizing ESD as ‘a vital means
of implementation for sustainable
development’. At the close of the UN
Decade of Education for Sustainable
Development (2005–2014), Member
States reaffirmed UNESCO’s role as lead
agency for its follow-up, the Global
Action Programme (GAP) on ESD.
UNESCO provides support to Member
States and assesses progress towards
the achievement of ESD. It encourages
governments to scale up ESD through
implementation of the GAP, and to
increase efforts to institutionalize ESD,
in the framework of the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development. The resolution
highlights the importance of education
for achieving sustainable development,