Motion: International Literacy Day 2010

International Literacy Day 2010

Lodged by Des McNulty Standard Motion 29 supporters

The motion

That the Parliament welcomes International Literacy Day 2010, which is scheduled to take place on Wednesday 8 September 2010; notes that it forms part of the UNESCO Literacy Decade 2003-13, which has the aim of raising awareness of the importance of literacy across the globe; further notes that the Scottish Survey of Adult Literacies (SSAL) 2009 showed that 73.3% of the Scottish working age population have a level of skills recognised internationally as appropriate for a contemporary society while 26.7% may face occasional challenges and constrained opportunities due to their literacy skills and that, within that group, 3.6% face serious challenges in their literacy practices; considers that this means the literacy level of a sizeable minority of people acts as a barrier that prevents them from making the most of their opportunities and believes that there are still far too many people who are excluded from full participation in activities as a result of the literacy challenges that they face; agrees with the Literacy Commission report published in December 2009 that Scotland should have a zero tolerance approach to illiteracy, and calls on the Scottish Government to ensure that the forthcoming Literacy Action Plan takes forward all the main recommendations of the Literacy Commission.

Supporters (29)