To mark International Literacy Day, which is celebrated annually worldwide on 8 September, the Norwegian Embassy in Myanmar affirmed Norway’s commitment to supporting young people’s access to education in Myanmar with the following statement:
International Literacy Day is celebrated to highlight the importance of literacy as a key component of education; a basic human right. Literacy is not just about the ability to read and write, it is a unique and powerful tool to eradicate poverty and a means for social and human progress. At least 773 million young people and adults of the world population lack basic literacy skills today. Despite the progress made by joint international efforts, literacy challenges persist, distributed unevenly across countries and populations.
The Covid-19 pandemic has caused large disturbances in education around the world, and in Myanmar, the military take-over has exacerbated the situation. The crisis has disrupted the learning of children, young people, and adults at an unprecedented scale. It is important that everyone has access to basic education.
Norway continues taking a lead role in mobilizing support for education for all, in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals. In Myanmar, Norway has supported young people’s access to education for many years and will continue to do so going forward.
