BASIC education teachers, who devoted their personal time with wholehearted support and voluntary assistance, in addition to their regular duties, help residents become literate, said President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar U Min Aung Hlaing at the ceremony to mark the 2026 International Literacy Day.
The President attended the commemorative ceremony at the convocation hall of the Naypyitaw State Academy in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday morning.
In his speech, the President said the 2014 population and household census indicated that there were 3.55 million illiterate individuals out of 33.93 million people aged 15 and above in Myanmar.
The 2019 interim population showed that about 4.1 million were illiterate out of 37.26 million people aged 15 and above, resulting in a literacy rate of 89.1 per cent and a numeracy rate of 89.5 per cent, he added.
He revealed that the government has been emphasizing the literacy campaign for all the people residing in rural areas as well as remote ones. As such, the literacy rate of Myanmar increased to 92.1 per cent, while the numeracy rate has risen to 92.3 per cent, according to the 2024 census.
The President highlighted that the Ministry of Education is implementing non-formal education for those who missed the chance to learn due to various reasons, in addition to formal education.
He underlined that the Non-Formal Primary Education-NFPE is operated with the implementation of the Non-Formal Middle Education-NFME which is purposed for the children and youths who missed the chances to continue learning of the middle school education despite completion of the primary education.
The President noted that successful results have been achieved through collaborative efforts to carry out basic literacy programmes in designated townships in Kayah State, Mon State and eastern Shan State in 2026. This success was made possible by the wholehearted support and voluntary assistance provided by basic education teachers, who devoted their personal time, in addition to their regular duties, to helping local residents become literate.
The President underscored that literacy is not only a fundamental human right inherent to every person but also an essential driving force for the development of human resources.
In line with the principle of “Education for All,” the President outlined that vigorous efforts must be made to implement basic literacy campaign, continuing education programmes, and non-formal primary and middle education programmes for out-of-school children, so that everyone, including those living in rural and remote areas, can become literate.
The President presented awards to the winners of the higher-education-level essay contest to mark International Literacy Day 2026.
Vice-Presidents U Nyo Saw and Nan Ni Ni Aye and Union Minister for Education Dr Chaw Chaw Sein awarded the winners in the poem and essay contests at the higher and basic education levels.
The President and State dignitaries watched a documentary video clip on efforts in the literacy campaign and viewed the exhibition to mark International Literacy Day 2026.
Also present at the ceremony were Pyithu Hluttaw Speaker U Khin Yi, Amyotha Hluttaw Speaker U Aung Lin Dwe, Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services General Ye Win Oo, Union-level dignitaries and Union ministers.
As a result of vigorous nationwide efforts carried out as a mass movement, Myanmar received UNESCO’s “Mohammad Reza Pahlavi Prize” in 1971 and the “Noma Prize” in 1983. — MNA/TTA
