Mirrors, Models and Mother Tongues: Why cultural relevance matters

The world faces a global literacy challenge. Children in low-income countries are disproportionately overrepresented by low literacy rates compared to their counterparts in middle- and high-income countries. The average students in a low-income country perform at a level 95% lower than students in high-income countries. In high-income countries, too, there are troubling gaps for historically marginalised groups. It’s important for children to learn to read in a language that makes sense to them and to read stories that they can relate to. This Working Paper surveys current thinking across academic and NGO research activities in support of Libraries for All’s approach to maintaining a diverse and culturally relevant library in response to program community needs.