KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 8

International Literacy Day was celebrated today in the country through virtual and other means. The theme of International Literacy Day this year was "Literacy for a human-centred recovery: Narrowing the digital divide."

The Centre for Education and Human Resource Development planned a tree plantation programme in Bhaktapur to mark the occasion.

The literacy rate of 15 and above age group is currently 67.9 per cent. The literacy rate of males belonging to this age group is 78.6 per cent and that of females 59.7 per cent.

Fifty-four districts of the country have declared attainment of full literacy, while 23 districts and 218 local levels remain to be declared so.

There are 35,674 schools in operation in the country at present. Out of these, 27,818 are community schools, 6,732 institutional (private) schools and 1,130 are religious schools, the Centre stated.

After the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world, education was shifted to online platforms in most countries. While most students were able to access their online classes, some missed out on their studies and suffered academic loss due to lack of resources and finances required for digital devices.

This created a digital divide between students. To bridge this growing gap in society, International Literacy Day 2021 is being observed today.

A version of this article appears in the print on September 9 2021, of The Himalayan Times.