Literacy For A Human-Centred Recovery: Narrowing The Digital Divide

“Literacy is not a luxury; it is a right and a responsibility. If our world is to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century we must harness the energy and creativity of all our citizens.” - President Bill Clinton. We live in an age of heightened uncertainty; our lives have been upended since the arrival of the novel coronavirus which has caused the biggest disruption to the education of millions of children across geographical borders and governments. It is debatable regarding to what extent we will be able to quantify the learning loss being experienced by many students across the globe as the pandemic continues to negatively impact lives and learning outcomes of our students. Literacy lays the foundation for accessing a quality education and lifelong learning. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESCO, defines literacy as the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate and compute, using printed and written materials associated with varying contexts. Literacy involves a continuum of learning enabling individuals to achieve their goals, to develop their knowledge and potential, and to participate fully in their community and wider society. Literacy is also a vital tool for sustainable development in that it enables greater participation in the labour market; improved child and family health and nutrition; reduces poverty and expands life opportunities. Interestingly, UNESCO’s definition of literacy pinpoints three key features; literacy is about the uses people make of it as a means of communication and expression, through a variety of media; Literacy is plural, being practiced in particular contexts for particular purposes and using specific languages and finally literacy involves a continuum of learning measured at different proficient levels. Regrettably, the COVID-19 pandemic has severely curtailed the education experience of millions of students worldwide. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) since 1967, International Literacy Day (ILD) celebrations have taken place annually around the world 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. Despite progress made, literacy challenges persist with at least 773 million young people and adults lacking basic literacy skills today. International Literacy Day (ILD) 2021 will be celebrated under the theme “Literacy for a human-centred recovery: Narrowing the digital divide”. The COVID-19 crisis has disrupted the learning of children, young people and adults at an unparalleled scale. It has also magnified the pre-existing inequalities in access to meaningful literacy learning opportunities, disproportionally affecting 773 million non-literate young people and adults. UNESCO added that youth and adult literacy were absent in many initial national response plans, while numerous literacy programmes have been forced to halt their usual modes of operation. Barriers to Literacy As a society we need to pay more attention to the notion of emergent literacy. Emergent Literacy is the idea that children grow into reading and writing with no real beginning or ending point. Sadly, as a people we have not done well in this regard; as a result this vacuum has provided a fertile environment for the construction of barriers to literacy. The main barrier to Jamaica achieving a 100 per cent literacy level is our inability to develop and promote a reading culture. The Jamaican society is very much an oral society which is clearly a feature of our African heritage. While we should not discount our predisposition for oral history we also need to encourage our citizenry to document and read. Additionally, there is culture which dictates to boys that reading is anti-masculine and sadly, this sub-culture, which is reinforced by popular culture, has turned off many of our boys from education in general and reading in particular. This lack of motivation for reading must be addressed with a sense of urgency. Disturbingly, boys who display school smarts are often ridiculed as effeminate by peers and even adults in areas where academic excellence by males is typically devalued. It is almost as if manhood and masculinity have been hijacked by a thug culture far removed from education. Our boys must see men reading, it’s a pity that in the education system so few men are employed; unfortunately this is rooted in culture which views teaching as nurturing and therefore feminine Literacy Rights in a Pandemic The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declares that even in the times of global crisis, efforts have been made to find alternative ways to ensure the continuity of learning, including distance learning, often in combination with in-person learning. Access to literacy learning opportunities, however, has not been evenly distributed. The rapid shift to distance learning also highlighted the persistent digital divide in terms of connectivity, infrastructure, and the ability to engage with technology, as well as disparities in other services such as access to electricity, which has limited learning options. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, was a reminder of the critical importance of literacy. Beyond its intrinsic importance as part of the right to education, literacy empowers individuals and improves their lives by expanding their capabilities to choose a kind of life they can value. It is also a driver for sustainable development. Literacy is an integral part of education and lifelong learning premised on humanism as defined by the Sustainable Development Goal 4 which addresses Quality Education. Regrettably, COVID-19 has wiped out twenty years of education gains as stated by the United Nations. Additionally, 101 million or 9% of children in grades 1 through 8 fell below minimum reading proficiency levels in 2020. Literacy, therefore, is central to a human-centred recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. The Way Forward As the nation embarks upon the 2021/2022 new academic year utilizing online modality there is need for a National Balanced Literary Programme in order to address and implement remedial initiatives for our students. A balanced literacy programme is a framework designed to assist all students to learn to read and write effectively. Such a programme uses a variety of teaching approaches, strategies and materials to teach children what they need to know. According to the latest research on literacy and learning on worldatlas.com a number of countries have achieved 100 % literacy levels. Among the nations which have achieved this target are Andorra, Finland, Norway, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein. In the Caribbean region, both Barbados and Cuba have achieved this admirable milestone. Jamaica has a literacy rate of 88%, Haiti 49%, Trinidad and Tobago 99% and Antigua and Barbuda 99%. Among the countries at the lowest end of the literacy ranking are Niger, South Sudan, Mali and Afghanistan. Undoubtedly, Jamaica and the global community path to education recovery will not be sustainable if it is that our students are not literate. We need to engage all stakeholders in ensuring that our students are adequately engaged in the pursuit of their educational quest. Let us install some book vending machines in some of our educational intuitions as well as national spaces in order to promote a culture of reading among our youth population. International Literacy Day (ILD) 2021 should be a time for policy makers to evaluate programmes and plans in order to scaffold and harness the nation’s human resources. The day should explore how literacy can contribute to building a firm foundation for a human-centred recovery, with a particular focus on the interplay of literacy and digital skills required by non-literate youth and adults. Sadly, many students are still not comfortable accessing online modalities given their poor literacy skills. International Literacy Day should also explore what makes technology-enabled literacy learning inclusive and meaningful to leave no one behind. We should ensure that ILD provide an opportunity for all stakeholders to reimagine future literacy teaching and learning, within and beyond the perspective of the pandemic. Let us utilize International Literacy Day to renew a call for a greater sense of innovation and passion to ensure that literacy remains the pillars on which a strong society is fashioned. In the words of Kofi Annan, literacy unlocks the door to learning throughout life, is essential to development and health, and opens the way for democratic participation and active citizenship. Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo #InternationalLiteracyDay ©