KUCHING: The Sarawak State Library (Pustaka) has won the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural OrganIsation (UNESCO) Confucius Prize for Literacy 2022 in conjunction with International Literacy Day on Sept 8.
According to a press release yesterday, Pustaka is awarded with the recognition from UNESCO through the ‘People Accessible Network for Digital Empowerment and Inclusivity (PANDei)’ programme.
“With local government support, the programme aims to help build a comprehensive support network, empowering local communities’ digital competencies and skills for building a digital-ready community.
“From 2018 to 2022, 81,057 learners benefitted from the programme, which also helped train 54 facilitators and teachers through Train of Trainer (ToT) activities,” it said.
The awards were presented during an international conference in Abidjian (Côte d’Ivoire), on Sept 8-9 under the theme “Transforming Literacy Learning Spaces” and among those present were Pustaka chairman Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr Hamid Bugo, Pustaka acting chief executive officer Japri Bujang Masli and head of information services division Edison Ricket.
UNESCO also selected six outstanding literacy programmes from Brazil, India, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and Malaysia as laureates of its International Literacy Prizes, based on the recommendations of international judges.
