Information and communication technologies are creating opportunities to address the challenge of the skills gap while digital tools can help improve access to learning and its quality, as they have the ability to reach those isolated, improve the monitoring of literacy progress, facilitate skills assessment, and improve the efficiency of managing and maintaining skills delivery systems, according to the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation, UNESCO.

''Digital technologies affect all areas of our lives, fundamentally shaping how we live, work, learn and socialise. These new technologies are opening vast new opportunities to improve our lives and connect globally, but they can also marginalise those who lack the essential skills, such as literacy, which is needed to utilise them,'' said Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, in a message marking International Literacy Day on 8th September, held under the theme, "Literacy in a Digital World."

''Traditionally, literacy has been considered a set of reading, writing and counting skills applied in a certain context. Digitally-mediated knowledge societies are changing what it means to be literate, by requiring new and higher-level literacy skills. At the same time, technology can also work to improve literacy development,'' she stressed.

This must be understood in the wider context, as around the world, 750 million adults currently lack even the most basic literacy skills while around 264 million children and youth are not benefiting from school education, she added.

''Furthermore, international surveys show that a sizeable proportion of adult and youth populations around the world, including those in developed countries, are inadequately equipped with the basic digital skills required to fully function in today’s societies and workplaces. Narrowing this skills gap is an educational and developmental imperative," she further added.

''To create and seize new opportunities to advance the ‘Sustainable Development Goal 4’ on education and lifelong learning for all, we need collective action. Partnerships between governments, civil society and the private sector are essential today in promoting literacy in a digital world. I consider the Global Alliance for Literacy under a Lifelong Learning Framework as a model of the concerted efforts that we require to advance the global agenda and support national literacy initiatives,'' she further stressed.

''International Literacy Day offers a moment to review the progress and come together to tackle the challenges ahead. This year, the event is devoted to better understanding the type of literacy required in a digital world, to create more inclusive, equitable and sustainable societies,'' Bokova stated.

''Everyone should be able to make the most of the benefits of the new digital age, for human rights, for dialogue and exchange, for greater sustainable development,'' she said in conclusion.