Light of Peace

On International Literacy Day, we are reminded how many persons are yet unable to read and write. Literacy can be a prerequisite for independent, prosperous and peaceful living. Although education is the right of every person, it is still considered to be a privilege in many regions of the world. As per the latest survey, about 759 million people can not read and write. This figure includes two-third of the women and girls. This day is celebrated every year on 8 September so that we are constantly cautioned that the goal of literacy has yet to be achieved.
Global progress in literacy, like the progress in peace, has been rather slow during the recent years. The most important factor is the ever increasing population. As the educational facilities cannot match the population growth, the number of illiterate people also keeps swelling every year.
According to a projected estimation, the number of illiterate persons will be around 710 million in year 2015. The illiteracy has a pronounced affect on the poorest regions of the world. To be more precise, 80 percent of the illiterates live in 20 countries, and more than half of them live in Bangladesh, China, India and Pakistan.
The United Nations has proclaimed the period 2003-2012 as the Decade of Literacy. The aim of the Decade is to reduce the illiteracy rate by 50 % among the adults by the year 2015. The topic for the year 2010 has been selected by UNESCO as, “Literacy and Women Empowerment.” Hopefully the world will achieve definite progress in it.
Literacy increases the awareness among the masses. This is vital for the development of democracy. Only in true democracy do the attributes like social justice, harmony, tolerance, cooperation and sacrifice flourish. What else, apart from these attributes, is required to promote global peace? Hence there is a close co-relation between the literacy and the peace. As a thumb rule the countries having higher literacy rate are also high in the ranking of global peace. The supporters of the cause of world peace may find it more productive to promote the literacy as well. While getting inspiration from the World Literacy Day, they must contribute towards the objective of literacy, in the best possible form, so that the world achieves its goal of everlasting global peace.