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/CNW/ - Today, the Council of Ministers of Education,
Canada (CMEC), joins with governments, business and labour,
nongovernmental organizations, and individuals from around the world to
celebrate International Literacy Day (ILD). ILD was established in 1965
by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) to underscore the value of a literate world and to promote
literacy for all.

Literacy is the foundation of social and economic progress. It is
critical to learners success, workplace readiness, and increased
productivity, said the Honourable Diane McGifford, Chair of CMEC and
Minister of Advanced Education and Literacy for Manitoba. Efforts to
improve literacy arent optional. They are vital to our countrys
success.

CMEC first identified literacy as a priority early in the decade and
confirmed its importance in the 2008 ministerial declaration, Learn
Canada 2020. Since 2004, CMEC has held three highly successful
fora on various aspects of literacy and furthered its advocacy work
through a formal commitment to literacy issued in a 2009
report to Canadians on progress being made to raise literacy levels.
In the coming months, ministers will be continuing their engagement with
literacy stakeholders, working to improve data on literacy levels in
Canadian society. They plan to issue their latest annual report on their
efforts to raise literacy levels in early 2011.

In its role as the collective voice of Canadas ministers of education
on the international stage, CMEC is directly engaged with a variety of
international bodies on activities related to literacy. It is actively
involved in the UN Literacy Decade (2003-2012) and is a key player in
the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the
high-profile evaluation undertaken regularly by the Organisation for
Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

About CMEC

Founded in 1967, CMEC is the collective voice of Canadas ministers
of education. It provides leadership in education at the pan-Canadian
and international levels and contributes to the fulfillment of the
constitutional responsibility for education conferred on the provinces
and territories. For more information, visit us at www.cmec.ca.