This is the statue of King Sejong the Great, who invented Hangeul (Korean alphabet), at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul's Jongno-gu District. (Yonhap News)

By Kim Seon Ah

Ghana's Foundation for Educational Equity and Development (FEED), Panama's ProEd Foundation (Fundacion ProEd) and Austria's University College of Teacher Education Vienna have won this year's UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said on Sept. 9.

FEED works with schools, community centers, civic organizations and tech companies in Ghana to help students more easily access educational resources like mobile libraries and digital tools.

In Panama, ProEd Foundation's educational program Lecto Labs promotes literacy mainly in 10 disadvantaged regions by raising cooperation between teachers and regional school communities.

The college in Austria formed the Voxmi Educational Network to create a multilingual classroom environment in urban regions, with the participation of over 62 educational institutions nationwide.

In 1965, UNESCO designated Sept. 8 International Literacy Day to raise awareness of the importance of eradicating illiteracy. Every year, the body gives awards to individuals or groups that have helped in the fight against global illiteracy.

 
To honor the spirit of King Sejong in inventing Hangeul (Korean alphabet) and join the global effort to combat illiteracy, the ministry supports the UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize, which was launched in 1989. Each winning institution receives a certificate of commendation along with a cash award of USD 20,000.

An event for International Literacy Day from Sept. 9-10 will be held in Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon, with the awards ceremony for this year's prize to be held on the first day. On the occasion of the 578th Hangeul Day on Oct. 9, the ministry will invite to Korea figures from the three winning organizations to introduce Korean culture to them.

sofiakim218@korea.kr