YANGON, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- On a humid afternoon in Bogale township, Ayeyarwady region, 49-year-old Daw May Thaung adjusted the camera on her phone. Her face lit up as her daughter's image appeared on the screen from thousands of miles away.
"I never imagined I could talk like this, face to face, with my daughter in another country," she said, her eyes glistening with joy.
Only a year earlier, Daw May Thaung had known little more than how to make basic phone calls. But with the patient guidance of her 15-year-old son, she learned to navigate video chat. "He showed me step by step," she recalled with a laugh.
"At first, I pressed the wrong buttons and accidentally cut the call. But slowly, I learned. By now, I could see my daughter's smile whenever I missed her," she said.
Her story was just one of many showing how digital literacy had reshaped lives in Myanmar, bridging distances, creating opportunities, and empowering people across generations.
In Yangon, 33-year-old office worker Ko Aung Min discovered how digital skills could transform his career. After completing a short online course on artificial intelligence, he began applying the tools to his daily tasks.
"Before, I made reports manually, and it took me hours," he explained. "Now, I could ask AI to create graphs and charts in minutes. It could summarize long documents for me. I felt more confident at work. It is like I had an assistant by my side."
For students, digital literacy became a doorway to the world. At Maubin township of Ayeyarwady region, 20-year-old third-year university student Su Mon spent her evenings attending webinars on her phone and exploring digital publications.
"In the past, we only had the textbooks in the library," she said. "Now I could join international seminars right from my room. I also made friends abroad and could practice my English with them," she said.
The benefits extended far beyond classrooms and offices. In a small village in Bogale, 26-year-old farmer Ko Htet Naing used his smartphone to check weather forecasts and track rice prices.
"I used to rely on guessing or listening to news," he said. "Now I knew when to plant and where to sell for the best price. My income improved because I could make better decisions."
A ceremony to mark the International Literacy Day was held in Yangon on Monday. Students who won prizes for their essays for the occasion were awarded during the event, the state-owned Myanmar Radio and Television reported.
As Myanmar marked the International Literacy Day, it was clear that the meaning of literacy had grown. Today, it's not just about reading and writing, but also about knowing how to navigate apps, judge online information, and use digital tools to tackle real-life challenges.
For many people in Myanmar, digital literacy was more than a skill. It was a bridge to family, opportunity, and even a future once unimaginable. ■