here is a pressing need to connect the reframing potential of literacy for promoting understanding, social unity and peace. In today’s world, bilingualism is a common practice for empowering people to approach to literacy development and education, which is effective for its rational, instructive and socio-economic benefits. Such an approach can help promote understanding and respect, while developing shared identities and collective histories.

It is time to promote causes related to literacy in multilingual contexts for achieving long-lasting peace and explore possible solutions for enhancing policies, improving learning systems, promoting good governance and inspiring compassion.

Literacy needs to be understood as a matter of dignity and human right. Despite steady progress made across the world, literacy challenges persist with at least 763 million young people and adults lacking basic literacy skills in 2020. The Covid-19 crisis and other disasters, such as climate change and regional conflicts have aggravated the challenges.

773 million people (including 258 million children) worldwide are unable to read or write; and one in seven adults is illiterate. There are currently 5.5 million more out-of-school girls, than boys.

Literacy is a human right. The skill makes it possible for individuals to develop and educate themselves and reach their full potential. The right to literacy is enshrined in the UN’s Declaration for Human Rights and Sustainable Development Goals.

Literacy empowers people to address their issues and respond to social resentence. Beyond its importance as part of the right to education, literacy improves lives by expanding capabilities which in turn reduces poverty, increases participation in the labour market and has positive effects on health and sustainable development. Women empowered by literacy have a positive ripple effect on all aspects of development. They have greater life choices for themselves and an immediate impact on the health and education of their families, in particular, the education of girls.

Significant progress has been made in literacy, with recent data showing that over 86 per cent of people around the world can read and write, up from 68 per cent in 1979. However, there are still 765 million adults who cannot read or write; two-thirds of them are women. Additionally, 250 million children are not learning basic reading and writing skills. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, that severely disrupted education, 617 million children and teenagers were not meeting basic reading levels.

The SDG 4 demands that all girls and boys complete free primary and secondary schooling by 2030. It also aims to provide equal access to affordable vocational training and to eliminate gender and wealth disparities with the aim of achieving universal access to a quality higher education. Goal 5 stresses to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but also a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world. With only seven years remaining, a mere 15.4 per cent of Goal 5 indicators are “on track.”

A recent UNICEF report reveals that Pakistan is facing a serious challenge to ensure that all children, particularly the most disadvantaged, attend, stay in and learn in school. While enrollment and holding rates are improving, progress has been slow to improve education indicators in Pakistan. An estimated 22.8 million [please verify, an article for PE this week says more than 25 million] children aged 5-16 are out-of-school, the world’s second-highest number of out-of-school children.

The country’s progress in achieving quality education under SDG-4 is miserable. The primary school completion rate reported at 67 per cent in the five years from 2015-2020. The national literacy rate over the period remained 60 per cent.

Even though governments have been trying to increase the literacy rate in the country since 1947, the targets are hardly met.

Form establishing the Literacy and Mass Education Commission in 1981; commencement of President’s Ten Point Education Programme in 1983; initiating Five Year Plans; introducing Pakistan National Literacy Programme in 1984-86; generating Azafi School Project in 1984; Each One Teach One project in 1984; Kachi Abadi Project (Iqra Centers) in 1984; opening of Afternoon Schools in 1984-86; Razakar Mu’allam Project, Literacy Programs in Jails and Prime Minister’s Five Points Programme in 1985, Iqra Pilot Project in 1986, Drop-in-Schools in1986-89; Nai Roshni Schools in 1986-89 to the launch of The National Commission for Human Development in 2002, we have undertaken a number of experiments.

The National Commission for Human Development was tasked with the mission to transform lives by improving access to basic education and healthcare in the country’s poorest communities in 124 districts of Pakistan and helping people find their way out of ignorance. The mega-initiative reflected a great hope for quick progress towards its goals. The capacity building of the involved agencies and stakeholders and extensive training programs for teachers is meant to ensure a lasting impact.

Through its Universal Primary Education programme, it is strengthening teachers’ capacities, providing additional teachers and setting up feeder schools, building strong and meaningful community linkages to attain sustainability. It will try to meet the challenge of providing quality primary education to every child of the country. There is a great expectation attached to this mammoth project to come up to the expectations to meet the SDG literacy targets by 2030,

Pakistan is a signatory to various international treaties and accords including Education for All under Millennium Development Goals, UN Literacy Decade (2003-2012), UNESCO’s Literacy Initiative for Empowerment and SDGs.

Audrey Azoulay, the UNESCO director general, has said, “Literacy is indeed much more than merely learning letters and words. It transforms the drops of ink on paper into windows on the world. It is the key that opens the door to knowledge, emancipation and imagination.”

The writer is a playwright and a freelance journalist. He can be reached at pashajaved1@gmail.com and his blogging site: soulandland.com