United Nations Radio

literacy

BYRON: I didn't learn to read until I was 12, I stuttered until I was 20. I was diagnosed as functionally illiterate, one of the experts, the doctor, told my mother " I'm sorry Ms Pitts, our diagnosis is that your son Byron is mentally retarded and we think he should be institutionalized. It was a devastating moment for my mother.

NARRATOR: Although Byron's diagnosis was grim, his mother he says was optimistic and had great faith. Byron eventually learned the power of words and is now an award winning journalist and correspondent for the well known US-based "60 minutes" TV programme.

Childhood illiteracy is not unheard of in the United States. It's estimated that 20 million people cannot read and write. Laura Bush, former first lady of the United States, has been at the frontlines of the fight against illiteracy.

BUSH: From my earliest days as a teacher in Texas to the classrooms I visited around the world, my experiences have reinforced my belief that education is our most urgent priority and it should have the highest call on our resources and time. Literacy is fundamental for all education

NARRATOR: This Wednesday is the International Day for Literacy, an event marked in New York by the UN's cultural and education agency, UNESCO. This year's theme is Women's Empowerment. The agency's director is Irina Bokova:

BOKOVA 1: Still one in six adult in the world is illiterate. This adds up to 796 million people more than 759 million people that we were marked a year ago. The majority are women, reflecting one of the most persistent injustices of our times: unequal access to education. In a number of countries in fact less than 50% of women are literate it means the majority still can't read and write.

NARRATOR: She says that it makes sense to invest in teaching women to read and write

BOKOVA 2: Literacy especially for women improves livelihoods, leads to better child and maternal health, lessens the risk of contracting HIV and AIDS and favours girls' access to education. It delays the age of marriage, reduces fertility rates and opens up opportunities on the job market. And yet literacy, unfortunately, remains a neglected education goal.

NARRATOR: The United Nations is calling for more funding and advocacy to improve literacy rates, in the hope that fewer people, especially women, are marginalised by their inability to read and write.

Daniel Dickinson reporting for UN radio from New York.

Producers: Daniel Dickinson
Beng Poblete-Enriquez
Sandra Guy
Duration: 2'51"