Contemporary Literacies: A foundation for ensuring social cohesion and the functioning of democracy

The role of contemporary literacies, including digital, ecological, social and media literacies among others, in building more creative and inclusive educational systems in Europe, as well as in promoting key competencies, was at the heart of the 6th International Conference “Literacy and Contemporary Society: From Skills to Practices”.

The conference was held at the Filoxenia Conference Centre in Lefkosia on 24 and 25 February in the framework of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU.

The main focus of the conference was highlighting new skills within the contemporary social, economic, political and cultural framework, as well as exploring the meaning of “literacy” beyond the traditional understanding of the ability to read and write. At the same time, the conference provided a platform for dialogue and a forum for submitting proposals on policy and practice aimed at building “literacy competence” and helping citizens acquire these various literacies so society can reap the rewards of having “literate citizens”.

The areas covered by the conference are in line with the education priorities of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU and with the relevant EU education policies aimed at promoting new literacies and fostering key competencies. The discussions that took place emphasised that being literate in the 21st century encompasses a broad range of literacies, such as linguistic literacy, digital literacy - including artificial intelligence literacy- ecological literacy and social literacy.

The Minister of Education, Sport and Youth of the Republic of Cyprus, Dr Athena Michaelidou, presented Cyprus’ education priorities, relevant to the theme of the Conference, particularly in relation to helping citizens become literate through an inclusive framework.

Enhancing Europe’s vision for contemporary, effective education systems

The conference agenda featured keynote speeches, parallel sessions, symposia and workshops. More than 550 delegates attended and over 200 research papers and presentations on educational practice and policy were delivered by academics, researchers, teachers, students, representatives of education policy bodies and education professionals from Cyprus and abroad.

Among the topics addressed were language teaching, emerging literacies, multilingualism, inclusive practices, digital literacies and artificial intelligence, the relationship between literacies and literature, professional learning for educators and literacies as the prerequisite for democracy and sustainable development.
The discussions emphasised the importance of updating and strengthening the European vision for modernising our education systems in a world that is changing faster than ever before in history.

The conference, which was co-funded by the EU, was organised by the Pedagogical Institute of the Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth of the Republic of Cyprus, in collaboration with the University of Cyprus.

Photos and video

See photos from the event on the Cyprus Presidency's Flickr account.