definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 61% male: 73.4% female: 47.8% (2001 census)
There are no universal definitions and standards of literacy. The most common definition - the ability to read and write at a specified age. Low levels of literacy, and education in general, can impede the economic development of a country in the current rapidly changing, technology-driven world.
Film 74:02 - In 2000, 110 million children in the world were not in school—two thirds of them were girls. In 2010, filmmakers Frederick Rendina and Oren Rudavsky traveled to Nepal and Uganda, two countries emerging from conflict and struggling with poverty, to find the answer to one question: What does it take to educate a girl? Framed by the United Nations global initiative to provide equal access to education for girls by 2015, To Educate a Girl takes a ground-up and visually stunning view of that effort through the eyes of girls out of school, starting school or fighting against the odds to stay in school. To access accompanying resources visit http://teachunicef.org/explore/topic/education
Changing Education Paradigms
101 million children are not attending primary school, with more girls than boys missing out.
The Girl Effect
Little research has been done to understand how investments in girls impact economic growth and the health and
well-being of communities. This lack of data reveals how pervasively girls have been overlooked. For millions of girls across the developing world, there are no systems to record their birth, their citizenship, or even their identity.
However, the existing research suggests their impact can reach much farther than expected.
What Happens When a Girl Gets a Chance?
When a girl in the developing world receives seven or more years of education, she marries four years later, and has 2.2 fewer children.
Educated girls grow into educated women, who - research shows - have healthier babies and are more likely to educate their children.
When girls and women earn income, they reinvest 90 percent of it into their families, as compared to only 30 to 40 percent for a man.
An extra year of primary school boosts girls' future wages by 10 to 20 percent.
An extra year of secondary school boosts girls' future wages by 15 to 25 percent.
Vision: Room to Read believes that World Change Starts with Educated Children. We envision a world in which all children can pursue a quality education that enables them to reach their full potential and contribute to their community and the world.
Mission: Room to Read seeks to transform the lives of millions of children in developing countries by focusing on literacy and gender equality in education. Working in collaboration with local communities, partner organizations and governments, we develop literacy skills and a habit of reading among primary school children, and support girls to complete secondary school with the relevant life skills to succeed in school and beyond.
International Literacy Month - September
On International Literacy Day each year, UNESCO reminds the international community of the status of literacy and adult learning globally.
September 8 was proclaimed International Literacy Day by UNESCO on November 17, 1965. It was first celebrated in 1966. Its aim is to highlight the importance of literacy to individuals, communities and societies. On International Literacy Day each year, UNESCO reminds the international community of the status of literacy and adult learning globally. Celebrations take place around the world.
Some 774 million adults lack minimum literacy skills; one in five adults is still not literate and two-thirds of them are women; 72.1 million children are out-of-school and many more attend irregularly or drop out.
30 girls from Gwalior, Bhind and Morena who are being trained in the art of photography by the Government of Madhya Pradesh, Department of Women and Child development and UNICEF.
Many of the girls taking part were using a camera for the first time. Out of 30 about 20 were from Bhina and Morena (districts having child sex ratio of less then 850/1000).
The voices of girls have been muffled as they hardly have a forum to vent their feelings and social barriers don't permit them to engage in any activity outside other than going to school - if they are fortunate enough. But now "clicks" of camera are going to break this barrier of silence.
There are plans to hold a public exhibition of photographs clicked by the girls over the next few days. These photographs will be displayed in the schools where the girls study.
"Such initiatives will go a long way in empowering these girls," Ashok Shivhare, additional commissioner, Gwalior, said after inaugurating the workshop.
Anil Gulati, communication specialist, UNICEF Office for Madhya Pradesh, said: "This workshop is part of an effort to provide an opportunity to children to express their opinions using the power of photography."
"This is part of the initiative to provide more space and forums to child participation and how they can be engaged to document what they know, see or hear on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the ground realities," he added.
Suresh Tomar, joint director, department of women and child development, said: "We are hoping the children would be able to use the art of photography to help realise the MDGs."
Two senior photographers, Prabhas Roy and Jagdish Yadav from Delhi, are training the girls to master the art of photography.
Health, Equity, and Education for All
WHO - The Health Academy's goal is to improve knowledge about attaining and maintaining good health. Through eLearning – which is how WHO defines learning by any electronic technology and media – the Organization has the means to reach out to people with information on disease prevention and health promotion. What is particularly important is the ability to reach school-age children, those aged from 12-18 years.
WHO is in a unique position to provide this information with its access to health expertise and rich information resources including those from its 193 Member States.
This resource pack provides simple, practical guidelines and tools for the development of age-appropriate communication materials for children of different age groups. It will be a cornerstone in improving communication for children, guiding UNICEF Country Offices, academics, media producers and others in the development of materials for child audiences.
e-Learning For Kids: We offer FREE online education in math, science, languages, health, environmental and life skills for children 5-12. English, French, Spanish, Indian English, and Portuguese.
You can either run our course from our site, or drop me a note, and we can give you the offline version so you can create your own CDs or host them locally. Just last year, we donated our online modules to over 2.3 million kids worldwide and in over 190 countries. This year we are working on adding 150 titles to our library (currently we offer 200 courses.)
Pratham Books is a non-profit trust that publishes high quality books for children at affordable prices and in multiple Indian languages. Our mission is "A Book in Every Child's Hand".
India: Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act 2009
The landmark passing of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act 2009 marks a historic moment for the children of India. For the first time in India's history, children will be guaranteed their right to quality elementary education by the state with the help of families and communities.
