International Literacy Day

Yesterday was the International Literacy Day. It was proclaimed by the United Nations on October 17, 1965 and first celebrated in 1966. Its purpose is to promote and enhance community action to educate the needy.

Seven million people above the age of 15 are illiterate in Turkey, according to statistics released by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics to mark the 50th International Literacy Day on Sept. 8. The number corresponds to nearly one seventh of Turkey's population, which is nearly 79 million.