World Literacy Day 2020 celebrated on 8th September: What's the significance, history & theme

September 8 marks the celebration of International Literacy Day and this year’s theme focuses on the ‘Literacy teaching and learning in the Covid-19 crisis and beyond.’ The theme has been kept in line with the threat of the global Covid-19 Pandemic.

Literacy helps people live with dignity and makes them self-sufficient.

At the 14th session of UNESCO’s general conference in 1966, the first ever International Literacy Day was declared and since then it has been celebrated annually on September 8, in an effort to highlight the importance of literacy to individuals and communities around the world.

According to recent consensus, about 775 million adults lack the minimum education that is required to be literate and of those, 60.7 million children are out of school or are rare attendees.