Literacy and Peace

I wrote this article on world literacy day, themed "literacy and peace". It begged me first position in college. I acknowledge all the resources that i referred. 

Literacy is considered as the hot cake of today’s knowledge driven society. It is the base on which human rights and values are imbibed. Every individual has access to this right. Literacy as a disciplinary subject is lifelong wisdom and it is one of the inevitable requisite for peace.

The thirst for peace can be achieved by educating the world. Education can empower every individual. What people are taught and how they are taught can make countries less prone to violence. Literacy establishes the peaceful coexistence between the communities and good governance.  Illiteracy results in inhumane actions, wars and violence. Every day, we hear wars breaking down, killing millions of individuals, trafficking humans and so on. This ignorance of cloud ensues in rampage that ruins peace. It is through literacy, that we alarm the sleeping conscience of those ignorant and make world, a worth living place.

Literacy also promotes women in the decision making process and conflict resolution. It provides skills and advocates their hope in developmental processes. The majority of illiterate comprises of young girls and women in the world. The need for encouragement has become mandatory and it is not responsibility of an individual but a combined force of every one, to rejuvenate their love for literature. Let us bridge the gap between hope and misery, so that peace is bestowed on all.

Poverty alleviation is one important area, where literacy has vital role to play. The eradication of poverty is most addressed issue in millennium development goals. Quarter of world’s population lies in zone of poverty and there is existence of income disparity, which is concerning the peace and welfare of the people. Literacy can cement this difference by providing a platform for employment, where youths and adults can enroll themselves in decent jobs. The strong tie between literacy and health can change poverty, malnutrition and disease into various cycles of learning, equity and sustainable development.

Literacy ensures good will and strengthens mutual understanding between nations. People can voice out their views and ideas on different perspective of thoughts, which concerns the safety of their family, communities and nation. Besides, it promotes human rights, gender equality and cultural diversity, languages etc., Literacy programs that make use of minority languages have the potential to improve people’s ability to participate in their own culture.

In a country like Burundi, literacy has helped to rebuild trust between shattered communities. Still today, she is striving hard to recover from a long period of civil wars, which have fractured its populations. Literacy fosters peace and security to politically unstable countries. Many nations are now realizing the importance of literacy and they are nurturing the seeds of peace.

On this very day, let us all pledge and promise to keep our weapons aside and let books to talking. So that, peace flourishes in the world like the first rays of sun, from the little chink in the curtain greet us in the morning.