Fifty years ago, when UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) proclaimed the 8th of September International Literacy Day, 24% of youth between the ages of 15 and 24 could not read or write. A lot has been accomplished since then; according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, today that number is less than 10%.*

However there is still more to be done. Over 750 million adults remain illiterate, two thirds of them women. Recently the United Nations put forth the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), goal number four being Quality Education. The hope is that by 2030 all girls and boys will receive free primary and secondary education with access to affordable vocational and higher education.

This is where Saylor Academy can help. We have over 90 courses, 22 of which are recommended for college credit by ACE CREDIT® and/or NCCRS (National College Credit Recommendation Service). These courses are tuition-free, with low associated fees for exam proctoring and transcripts; fully online; completely self-paced, with exams available 24/7; and guaranteed for credit at over a dozen Saylor Academy partner schools, with hundreds more that will consider the courses for credit.

A course to highlight on this International Literacy day is Pre-College English. The course is designed to improve your writing ability, teach you to read actively, help with organization of thoughts, and introduce you to the expository essay. All of this is crucial to academic success and to any future career endeavors. Other notable courses include Resume Writing, Professional Writing, and our English Composition 1 and 2 courses.

We are proud to be a part of a growing community bringing Open Educational Recourses (OER) to the forefront, making education affordable and accessible. And we are even prouder to be doing something, no matter how small, to help achieve SDG #4, Quality Education.

If you know someone who wants to further their education, improve their skills, or just wants to never stop learning, then help us spread the word!

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*Worldwide average of nations with data.