Confucianism has profoundly influenced the development of China and played a positive role in advancing human civilization, said participants on Friday at the 2024 China International Confucius Cultural Festival.

Li Shulei, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, declared the festival open on Friday in Qufu, Shandong province, the birthplace of Confucius. The festival, which runs through Oct 7, will feature over 100 cultural and tourism activities.

During the opening ceremony, three educational programs were awarded the 2024 UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy for their contributions to functional literacy leveraging digital tools.

The "Illiteracy Eradication Project" in Egypt expands literacy initiatives to include non-Arabic speakers, digitalizes its adult education curriculum, promotes digital literacy skills and creates educational videos for all ages. Over 130,000 learners have graduated under the program.

Learning and education are fundamental rights, regardless of a person's background or beliefs, said Amr Ahmed Abdelrazek Gabr, a representative of the Egyptian program, adding that this idea rooted in Confucianism is deeply inspiring and should spread all over the world.

The "Sokola Literacy Education for Indigenous Indonesians" includes digital literacy, media literacy, education for sustainable development, and job-specific skills. Between 2021 and 2023, as many as 200 participants benefited from the program.

Beatrix Gracella Pardede, a representative of the award-winning Indonesian program, said that Confucius knew many things not just about education, but also about morality, language, literature and arts. "It really inspires us that one person can think in a holistic way."

The "FastTrack" program in Nigeria includes a bilingual method of language instruction, teaching both the national language and the learners' first language.

Since 2021, more than 19,000 children who are refugees, displaced or out of school across seven Nigerian states have completed literacy and life skills training under the program.

Stefania Giannini, assistant director-general for education at UNESCO, said the Confucius prize focuses on functional literacy, leveraging technological environments in support of adults in rural areas and out-of-school youths.

"Once again, it's about putting inclusion at the very core of our initiatives," she said.

Events commemorating the 2,575th anniversary of the birth of Confucius were held on Saturday in Qufu and in Quzhou, Zhejiang province.