St. Kitts and Nevis Joins the Global Community to Celebrate International Literacy Day on September 8

Basseterre: St. Kitts, Tuesday, September 7th, 2021:​ The Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis will join the rest of the world to celebrate International Literacy Day (ILD) on September 08th. The 2021 recognition of this day will be celebrated under the global theme ‘Literacy for a Human-centered Recovery: Narrowing the Digital Divide. 

Secretary-General for the St. Kitts and Nevis National Commission to UNESCO, Ms. Dorothy Warner, expressed that the theme comes at an opportune time as the global community grapples with minimizing the negative impact taking place in education as a result of the pandemic.

“The theme, ‘Literacy for a Human-centered Recovery: Narrowing the Digital Divide, is aptly chosen to encourage us to devise ways of becoming and remaining literate, despite the devastating effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic. All around the world teachers and learners are tooling up to use various online platforms, ensuring the continuation of learning and enhancing the quality of literacy,” she said. 

Minister of Education, Sports and Culture, the Honourable Jonel Powell, shared similar sentiments noting that the theme is relevant and encouraged residents to take advantage of all the opportunities to learn. 

“The theme for International Literacy Day 2021 is timely and relevant. It highlights acquiring literacy as a lifelong learning perspective and focuses on educators and their processing to be better able to engage multiple modes to accommodate different types of learners,” stated the Honourable Minister. “The ability to create and use information should not be taken for granted. Learning to read [acquiring knowledge] or becoming literate is a fundamental human right and the foundation of human dignity”. 

Minister Powell noted that one of the negative impacts of COVID-19 is on the acquisition of knowledge and consequently literacy.

“Undoubtedly, the COVID-19 Pandemic has disrupted the learning of children, young people and adults on an unprecedented scale. Here in our Federation, especially with the onset of community spread we have experienced lockdowns and the closure of schools. We were forced

to suspend face-to-face instruction, halting our usual modes of operation which adversely affected our students”, he said.

Minister Powell, reinforced the pivotal role played by the Ministry of Education in ensuring that our children remain knowledgeable amidst the global negative impact of COVID-19 on education and literacy.

“…The literacy of our people is far too important to be left to chance. So, our teachers continue to receive training to deliver instructions online to ensure that the literacy of our people is not jeopardised. The need for blended learning approaches suggest that teachers continue upgrading their knowledge and use of online platforms to be better able to accommodate learners remotely. Adapting to new measures ensures that no learner, despite his/her circumstances, will be left behind in the continuation of being literate,” he said.

According to information from en.unesco.org, International Literacy Day, which is observed annually on September 08, has been celebrated around the world since 1967 to remind the public of the importance of literacy as a matter of dignity and human rights, and to advance the literacy agenda towards a more literate and sustainable society.