Sixty years of the written word, By Ezra Angai

Six decades after International Literacy Day was established, the global campaign has therefore entered a different phase. The challenge is no longer simply to increase the number of people who can read and write, but to ensure that children and adults acquire the wider competencies required to participate in contemporary society… Nigeria’s challenge is especially urgent because of the scale of its out-of-school population and the disparities in educational opportunity.

Literacy at the Last Mile, and what a Nigerian state can teach us about reading in the age of Artificial Intelligence.

On 8 September UNESCO marked the sixtieth International Literacy Day in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico. The day was proclaimed in 1966, following a 1965 conference of education ministers in Tehran, with the ambition of eradicating illiteracy within a generation. Six decades later, that objective remains unfinished, while the meaning of literacy has expanded considerably.

For much of the twentieth century, literacy meant the ability to read and write a short, simple statement about everyday life. That definition was useful for measuring progress, but it described only a basic threshold. Today, literacy encompasses reading, writing, numeracy, digital competence and the ability to find, assess and use information.

The change reflects the demands of modern life. A person may be able to read a printed sentence yet remain functionally excluded if unable to interpret a data table, complete a digital form, assess an online claim or identify a fraudulent communication. Literacy is increasingly a prerequisite for participation in economic, social and civic life.

The global challenge remains substantial. UNESCO estimates that at least 739 million young people and adults still lack basic literacy skills, with women accounting for nearly two-thirds of that population. Progress, however, has been significant. Global adult literacy has increased from roughly 65 per cent in the mid-1970s to about 88 per cent today, while youth literacy has risen from approximately 75 per cent to 93 per cent.

Yet access to school has not always translated into learning. About four in ten children worldwide still fail to attain minimum reading proficiency. The greatest difficulties remain concentrated in communities affected by poverty, conflict, insecurity and inadequate educational financing.

Nigeria presents one of the more difficult cases. The country has one of the world’s largest populations of out-of-school children, with widely cited estimates exceeding 18 million. National literacy figures conceal sharp regional and gender disparities. While literacy rates in parts of southern Nigeria are comparatively high, some northern communities record extremely low levels. Girls face barriers including early marriage, domestic responsibilities, poverty and unsafe journeys to school. Boys, too, are frequently withdrawn from education for farming, transport and informal labour.

The Federal Government’s response under the Renewed Hope Agenda has placed education at the centre of its development strategy. The Federal Ministry of Education, led by Dr Tunji Alausa, has organised reforms under the Nigerian Education Sector Renewal Initiative, with emphasis on teacher quality, technical and vocational education, science and technology, digital skills, improved data and reducing the out-of-school population.

The renewed focus on technical and vocational education is particularly relevant to the changing definition of literacy. In an economy increasingly influenced by technology and automation, the ability to operate equipment, acquire a trade, understand technical information and use digital tools is part of the basic competence required for productive citizenship.

The government has also placed greater emphasis on evidence-based education planning, including a national digital education management information system and renewed learning assessments. The principle is important: educational policy cannot be effectively designed or evaluated without reliable information about who is learning, where the gaps are and what interventions work.

The project began with a household enumeration covering 360,319 homes. It identified 187,719 out-of-school children aged six to 17, including 2,305 children with disabilities. The survey also challenged assumptions about the gender composition of educational exclusion. Boys account for nearly 57 per cent of the identified out-of-school population, often because they enter agriculture, transport and other forms of informal work early. Girls face different barriers, including early marriage, domestic responsibilities, and safety concerns.

Financing remains a central issue. At the National Advancement Forum in September, the Education Minister argued that government funding alone could not sustain Nigeria’s universities and called for greater use of endowments, research grants, alumni contributions, philanthropy and industry partnerships. The broader lesson is that educational reforms require sustainable financing and institutions capable of maintaining gains after individual programmes end.

Kaduna State provides a useful case study of how such policies can be translated at subnational level.

For three consecutive years, the state has allocated roughly one-quarter of its annual budget to education: 25 per cent in 2024, 26.14 per cent in 2025 and 25 per cent of its ₦985.9 billion 2026 budget, equivalent to about ₦246.5 billion. The spending has supported free basic education, reduced tuition in state-owned tertiary institutions, scholarships and student assistance, classroom construction, learning materials, and teacher development.

The state has also expanded technical and vocational training. In August, the Kaduna State Institute of Vocational Training and Skills Development graduated its first cohort of 4,050 trainees, who received National Skills Qualifications, with many also receiving start-up support. The Federal Ministry of Education has adopted Kaduna’s technical and vocational training manuals as reference material for the national curriculum.

Data has been another area of emphasis. A statewide household survey provided a more reliable basis for estimating the number of out-of-school children, replacing conflicting earlier estimates. Such data is not merely statistical: it determines where resources are directed and whether progress can be measured.

That approach underpins the Reaching Out-of-School Children Project, or ROOSC, a $62.8 million multi-donor initiative supported by the Islamic Development Bank and its solidarity fund, the Kuwait Fund, the Global Partnership for Education, Education Above All, UNICEF and Save the Children International. Its target is to bring 100,000 out-of-school children into learning across Kaduna’s 23 local government areas.

The project began with a household enumeration covering 360,319 homes. It identified 187,719 out-of-school children aged six to 17, including 2,305 children with disabilities. The survey also challenged assumptions about the gender composition of educational exclusion. Boys account for nearly 57 per cent of the identified out-of-school population, often because they enter agriculture, transport and other forms of informal work early. Girls face different barriers, including early marriage, domestic responsibilities, and safety concerns.

The response, therefore, uses several pathways into education. The Accelerated Basic Education Programme provides intensive foundational literacy, numeracy, and life skills for older children who have never attended school. Catch-Up Clubs offer remedial support and prepare learners for formal schooling. Integrated Qur’anic and Tsangaya Education incorporates literacy and numeracy into existing Islamic learning environments, while radio-based instruction provides an alternative where insecurity makes conventional classrooms difficult.

The project also addresses practical barriers that can prevent children from remaining in school. More than 44,000 children have received learning materials, while girls have received menstrual-hygiene support. Thousands of learners have undergone medical assessments, and more than 4,000 assistive devices, including wheelchairs, spectacles and hearing aids, have been provided to children with disabilities. More than 4,000 teachers have received training.

Child protection forms another component. The programme has established trained caseworkers, referral mechanisms and case-management systems for children facing neglect, exploitation or abuse. The objective is to ensure that educational access is accompanied by the protection necessary to sustain it.

International Literacy Day began as a commitment to open the written word to those excluded from it. Sixty years later, the task has widened. The objective must now be to equip people not only to read, but to understand, evaluate and use the vast flow of information that increasingly shapes their lives.

Infrastructure is being expanded alongside these interventions. The project is constructing 102 schools and rehabilitating 170 others, providing 272 facilities in all. Accessibility is incorporated into their design, while Tsangaya and Qur’anic learning centres are included as legitimate education spaces. These centres receive trained facilitators and teaching materials, allowing the programme to work through institutions already accepted within their communities.

ROOSC also invests in the systems that must remain after donor funding ends. Its work includes strengthening education planning, school-based management committees, local government education structures and digital data systems. That institutional component is important because the long-term measure of any externally supported programme is whether it strengthens the public system, rather than creating a parallel one.

The stakes are higher now because the children entering these learning centres will grow up in an economy and information environment increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence. Traditional literacy remains essential: people must be able to read medicine labels, health advisories, official notices and other information on which everyday decisions depend. But they must also be able to assess information, recognise manipulation, distinguish evidence from falsehood and use digital and AI tools responsibly.

This is the next frontier of literacy. It is not enough to decode words; citizens must understand what they read, question its reliability and make informed decisions about it.

Six decades after International Literacy Day was established, the global campaign has therefore entered a different phase. The challenge is no longer simply to increase the number of people who can read and write, but to ensure that children and adults acquire the wider competencies required to participate in contemporary society.

Nigeria’s challenge is especially urgent because of the scale of its out-of-school population and the disparities in educational opportunity. Kaduna’s experience suggests that progress depends on several elements working together: credible data, sustained financing, multiple pathways into learning, teacher development, inclusion, infrastructure and stronger public institutions.

The lesson is straightforward. Literacy policy must begin with the child who is not in school, identify the reason for exclusion, provide an appropriate route to learning and ensure that the learner remains supported once inside the system. In an age of artificial intelligence, that foundation is more important, not less.

International Literacy Day began as a commitment to open the written word to those excluded from it. Sixty years later, the task has widened. The objective must now be to equip people not only to read, but to understand, evaluate and use the vast flow of information that increasingly shapes their lives.

The quality of Nigeria’s response will depend on whether that broader definition reaches the children at the margins of the education system. Kaduna’s effort offers one practical example of what that can look like.

Ezra Angai is the project coordinator of the Reaching Out-of-School Children (ROOSC) project, a multi-donor-funded initiative of the Kaduna State Government tackling the out-of-school children crisis. He writes on education access, financing and reform.