Reimagining literacy

EVERY year, International Literacy Day invites us to ask a deceptively simple question: what does it mean to be literate? The traditional answer is: being able to read and write. But in a world confronting climate change, technological disruption, widening inequality, misinformation and rapid changes in the nature of work, that definition is no longer sufficient. The theme of International Literacy Day 2026, 'Literacy for people, the planet and prosperity,' offers an opportunity to rethink literacy not as a narrow educational outcome but as a foundation for human dignity, environmental responsibility and shared economic progress. Literacy has always been closely connected to the development journey. Over the past decades, the country has made significant progress in expanding access to education and reducing illiteracy. Yet, the challenge has changed. The question is increasingly not simply whether people can read and write but whether they can use literacy to understand their life, make informed decisions, participate in society, adapt to change and build better future. This distinction matters. A child who can decode words but cannot understand a paragraph, interpret information, communicate an idea or apply knowledge to a real-life problem may technically be able to read but has not acquired literacy in its fullest sense. An adult who can read a notice but cannot understand a bank document, verify information on social media, interpret a health message or navigate a digital service remains vulnerable to exclusion. Literacy, therefore, must be understood as a capability for life rather than merely a certificate of schooling. Dimensions THE first dimension of the day's theme, people, places humans at the centre of literacy. Literacy should enable individuals to exercise agency, claim rights, access opportunities and meaningfully participate in communities. It is important for those who have been excluded from quality education: children from poor households, girls and women, people with disabilities, ethnic and linguistic minorities, children in remote areas, working children and people affected by displacement or disasters. Experiences show that getting children into classrooms, while essential, is not enough. The country must focus more on what children actually learn and whether they can apply that learning. Learning outcomes cannot be separated from literacy. This is why the literacy agenda must begin much earlier than the point at which governments measure adult literacy. Early childhood development, language development, oral communication, vocabulary, comprehension and exposure to books and stories all contribute to later literacy. Families, communities and schools must work together to create environments in which children encounter language not merely as a subject but as a means of understanding. Literacy should not mean disconnecting children from their communities and languages. The country has a rich tradition of oral storytelling, folk literature, songs, theatre, poetry and local knowledge. These are not obstacles to modern literacy. They can be powerful resources for developing it. This is where the education system needs a broad imagination. Literacy is not simply about putting more textbooks into children's hands. It is about creating meaningful encounters with language, ideas, imagination and knowledge. The second dimension, the planet, is relevant to Bangladesh. A Few countries are as exposed to the consequences of climate change as Bangladesh. Floods, cyclones, river erosion, salinity, heat stress and displacement have already affected communities and educational opportunities. Climate change is, therefore, not only an environmental issue but also an education and literacy issue. A climate-literate citizen needs to understand the relationship between human activity and environmental change, recognise risks, interpret warnings and make informed decisions. This suggests that environmental literacy should become an integral part of literacy education rather than an occasional topic in a science textbook. Children should learn to read not only words but also the world around them. The education system could, therefore, make a greater use of local environmental knowledge. The challenge is to avoid turning environmental literacy into another collection of facts to memorise for examinations. A literate learner should be able to question, investigate, interpret evidence and act responsibly. The third dimension, prosperity, takes us directly into the future of work. The country is undergoing major economic and technological transformations. Automation, artificial intelligence, digital platforms and new forms of employment are changing what employers expect from workers. Traditional literacy remains indispensable, but it must now be complemented by digital, financial, media, information and technological literacies. Yet, digital literacy should not be confused with simply knowing how to operate a smartphone. Bangladesh has one of the world's largest populations of mobile users, but access to a device does not automatically produce meaningful digital capability. People must know how to search, evaluate, create and communicate information safely and responsibly. This is important as artificial intelligence becomes deeply embedded in everyday life. The emerging question is not whether people will use artificial intelligence but whether they will use it critically and ethically. For Bangladesh, this means that literacy policy cannot remain confined to the education ministry or the classroom. It needs to connect with skills development, employment, social protection, digital transformation and economic policy. A literate society should be a society in which people can continue learning throughout their working lives. Learning without literacy THERE is, however, a fundamental danger in pursuing prosperity through technology while leaving foundational learning unresolved. The country cannot leapfrog its literacy challenges only by distributing digital devices or introducing artificial intelligence to classrooms. Technology can amplify good education; but, it can also amplify weak education. The most sophisticated digital platform is of limited value to a child who struggles to comprehend a simple paragraph. An artificial intelligence tool cannot compensate for the absence of curiosity, reasoning and communications skills. The foundations remain reading with understanding, writing clearly, speaking confidently, reasoning logically and applying knowledge to unfamiliar situations. We, therefore, need to ask whether children learn to read fluently and comprehend what they read, they can express their ideas, they can use numeracy in everyday situations and they can set classroom learning into real-life contexts. A child develops literacy through conversations at home, stories, books, games, school activities and interactions with adults. An adult develops literacy when public institutions communicate in accessible language and provide opportunities to learn. A worker develops new forms of literacy when training programmes connect learning with actual workplace needs. This is why public libraries deserve renewed attention. In many communities, libraries could become centres not only for books but also for digital access, lifelong learning, community discussion and children's activities. A modern literacy strategy should also ask how many communities have accessible spaces where people can learn beyond school. The media also have an important responsibility. In an age of misinformation, journalism becomes part of the literacy ecosystem. People need the ability to distinguish evidence from assertion, reporting from propaganda and verified information from fabricated content. Media literacy is, therefore, becoming an essential component of democratic citizenship. New social contract THE country now needs a new social contract around literacy that connects people, planet and prosperity rather than treat them as separate policy objectives. Literacy for people means ensuring that every child and adult can participate with dignity and confidence in society. Literacy for the planet means enabling citizens to understand environmental risks and make responsible choices. Literacy for prosperity means equipping people with the foundational, digital, financial and lifelong learning capabilities required in a changing economy.