RCCDO SEPTEMBER 14 BULLETIN

L
ast Friday, we join the global community
in celebrating International
Literacy Day, September 08: a day
uniting governments, civil society organizations,
communities, teachers and key
stakeholders to highlight our achievements
in basic education and literacy
while looking ahead on ways to address
remaining challenges.
This year’s theme, Literacy in a Digital
World, focuses on the challenges and
opportunities of promoting literacy in our
increasingly digital world. Digital technologies
continue to drastically changing the
way people live, work, learn and communicate.
Innovative new technologies
provide opportunities for people to easily
access information and knowledge, make
connections around the world, broaden
their reach and change the world in unforeseen
ways.
RI: Basic Education and Literacy in a
Digital World
By Azka Asif, Rotary Service and Engagement staff
Rapid advancements have also resulted
in a global ‘digital divide’: disparities in
access to digital technologies. Today
nearly four billion people around the
world do not have access to the internet,
nearly two billion people do not use
a mobile phone, and almost half a billion
live outside of areas with a mobile signal.
Those who do not have access to
these technologies, or the knowledge
and skills required to navigate them,
end up being left behind.
According to UNESCO, nearly 750 million
adults and 264 million out-of-school
children still lack basic literacy skills
making the divide even larger. Rotary
members are addressing these challenges
by closing the literacy skill gaps and
Continued, LITERACY p.15
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