Overview
- UNESCO convened a two-day global commemoration in Chiapas on Tuesday and Wednesday, bringing education ministers, teachers and students together to mark the 60th anniversary and present the UNESCO International Literacy Prizes.
- Latest UNESCO-linked estimates show at least 739 million young people and adults lacked basic literacy in 2024 and four in ten children are not reaching minimum reading proficiency, highlighting large unmet needs despite decades of progress.
- National leaders used the observance to spotlight domestic steps: Pakistan cited a 63 percent literacy rate in its 2025–26 economic survey with a 73/54 male–female gap and pledged enrolment and skills programmes, while India published figures showing about 1.467 million schools, 10.3 million teachers and 247.2 million enrolled students.
- Assessment studies expose a gap between enrolment and learning: ASER 2024 found only 23.4 percent of Class III children in rural government schools could read a Class II text and PIRLS 2021 plus South Africa’s Funda Uphumelele show very low early-grade comprehension in many districts.
- Coverage and experts are urging a policy shift toward quality, equity and application by expanding literacy to include functional, digital and health skills and by tracking measurable learning gains rather than relying on enrolment or basic reading rates alone.