MuskogeePhoenix.com | Literacy council to celebrate with essay contest

Muskogee Area Literacy Council to celebrate with essay contest

Each year on Sept. 8, ..., millions of literacy professionals and volunteers are recognized for their valuable work and commitment to improving the world’s literacy rate. Those newly literate also are praised for their perseverance and encouraged to continue the learning process...

This special day in September is known as International Literacy Day. It is the result of a recommendation made during the World Conference of Ministers of Education on the Eradication of Illiteracy held in Iran in 1966. The following year The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, also known as UNESCO, inaugurated its official observation of International Literacy Day.

The Muskogee Area Literacy Council will celebrate this special day by announcing the theme of its 11th annual essay contest. The contest is open to students in third through twelfth grade and to adults. The Council has mailed information about the contest to each school district in Muskogee County in an attempt to encourage countywide participation.

Home-schoolers and adults may pick up information sheets at the Muskogee Public Library. Information may also be obtained at our local Hastings store in the afternoon on September 8. The Muskogee Area Literacy Council will have a table with information flyers, applications for library cards and giveaways for elementary aged children. In next week’s column, the theme of this year’s contest will be published along with other requirements for entry into the contest.

Muskogee County is not immune from the ill effects of illiteracy. Statistics obtained from the Oklahoma Department of Libraries reveals that one in four adults over the age of eighteen living in Muskogee County does not possess Level One literacy skills. These skills include simple tasks such as filling out forms, reading a recipe, using a telephone directory, or reading simple signs. If you are interested in helping combat illiteracy in Muskogee or know someone who desires to improve his or her literacy skills, please contact Janette Rose, Adult Literacy Coordinator at the Muskogee Public Library by phone, 682-6657 X314, or email, rosej@eok.lib.ok.us.