The Central Regional Office of the Ghana Library Authority in collaboration with Book Aid International has marked 2021 International Literacy Day with the focus on creating awareness on literacy and highlighting the country’s progress in eradicating learning poverty.
This year’s celebration is under the theme, “literacy for a human-centered recovery: Narrowing the digital divide”.
Observed on the 8th of September every year since October 1966, the celebration offers the opportunity for players in the literacy space to highlight the importance of literacy to individuals, communities and societies.
Speaking at the event to commemorate the day, the Central Regional Director of the Ghana Library Authority, Nana Appiah Kubi urged Ghanaians to promote learning, particularly among children in order to lay a solid foundation for them to meet today’s development challenges.
Also, the head of the Confucius Institute at the University of Cape Coast, Professor Ishmael Mensah who was the guest of honour charged stakeholders in education to make conscious efforts in making ICT and e-learning accessible to all persons in Ghana’s education system to help the country progress in this digital age.
Prof Mensah indicated that the rapid safe towards online learning has exposed the persistent digital divide between developed and developing countries as well as between rural and urban areas.
“…there are no networks within our rural areas, children who attend rural schools, shouldn’t they also learn through digital platforms. Promoting literacy and lifelong learning in the new normal will therefore require bridging this digital divide which will also help in achieving the sustainable development goal 4.”
On his part, the Metropolitan Chief Executive of Cape Coast, Mr. Ernest Arthur, in a speech read on his behalf called on parents and opinion leaders in the region to help in the fight to eradicate illiteracy in the region.
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Source: Vera Siripi/ATLFMNEWS
