literacy is the best remedy

UNESCO has themed the International Day of Literacy: “Literacy is the best remedy.” 
The Austrian UNESCO Commission highlights that some 300.000 persons are illiterate in Austria. Note that it is not just children who cannot read and/or write but also a significant number of adults who were denied their full right to education in the 50ies and 60ies. 

Until recently, Austria did not agree to professional research into the prevalance of illiteracy. The first such inquiry is to be conducted in 2009 as part of OECD’s Programm for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies.