September 8 is International Literacy Day. The day was proclaimed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on November 17, 1965, and celebrated for the first time in 1966. International Literacy Day aims to highlight the importance of literacy to individuals, communities, and societies. For this year’s International Literacy Day, the focus was on the link between literacy and peace, and a ceremony took place in New Delhi, India.
During the ceremony in New Delhi, UNESCO gave out the UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize to projects in Burundi and Mexico. The Literacy Prize was created by the Korean government in 1989 to honor the outstanding contribution made to literacy by Sejong the Great (1397 - 1418/1450) who created Hangul, the Korean alphabet. This prize rewards the activities of governments, governmental agencies, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that display merit and achieve particularly effective results in promoting literacy. In the past 20 years, a total of 38 UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prizes have been awarded to countries such as India, China, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Nigeria.
One of the two recipients of the UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize this year is the National Literacy Service in Burundi, for its innovative approach in linking functional literacy to daily life issues and topics related to peace and tolerance, as well as for its overall impact. This service also provided educational opportunities such as how to work efficiently.
The second recipient of the UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize is the National Institute for the Education of Adults of Mexico, for its bilingual literacy program, Bilingual Literacy for Life. This program is recognized for its impact in reducing the rate of illiteracy among indigenous populations, especially among women, and also for improving the ability of indigenous people to exercise their rights. In 2007, a total of 944 people participated in this program, but since then the program has had more than 50,000 participants annually.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism plans to invite the UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize recipients to Korea to commemorate the 565th Hangul Proclamation Day. They will stay in Korea for five days and four nights and will attend the 565th Hangul Proclamation Day Festival, an international literacy conference, and various other programs to experience Korean traditional culture.
source:Korea.net
| President Pratibha Devisingh Patil of India hands out prizes at the International Literacy Day ceremony on September 8 (Photo: Yonhap News). |
During the ceremony in New Delhi, UNESCO gave out the UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize to projects in Burundi and Mexico. The Literacy Prize was created by the Korean government in 1989 to honor the outstanding contribution made to literacy by Sejong the Great (1397 - 1418/1450) who created Hangul, the Korean alphabet. This prize rewards the activities of governments, governmental agencies, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that display merit and achieve particularly effective results in promoting literacy. In the past 20 years, a total of 38 UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prizes have been awarded to countries such as India, China, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Nigeria.
One of the two recipients of the UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize this year is the National Literacy Service in Burundi, for its innovative approach in linking functional literacy to daily life issues and topics related to peace and tolerance, as well as for its overall impact. This service also provided educational opportunities such as how to work efficiently.
The second recipient of the UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize is the National Institute for the Education of Adults of Mexico, for its bilingual literacy program, Bilingual Literacy for Life. This program is recognized for its impact in reducing the rate of illiteracy among indigenous populations, especially among women, and also for improving the ability of indigenous people to exercise their rights. In 2007, a total of 944 people participated in this program, but since then the program has had more than 50,000 participants annually.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism plans to invite the UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize recipients to Korea to commemorate the 565th Hangul Proclamation Day. They will stay in Korea for five days and four nights and will attend the 565th Hangul Proclamation Day Festival, an international literacy conference, and various other programs to experience Korean traditional culture.
source:Korea.net
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