International Literacy Day
September 8, 2009 by Lillie
Reading—for entertainment or education—tops my list of favorite things to do. Books, blogs, bulletins, blurbs, ballads, brochures, broadcasts, blather, buzz—I love all forms of the written word.
Yet according to UNESCO, 20% of adults are illiterate. Not only are these people deprived of the joy of reading, they face incredible challenges in living productive lives. Simple tasks that most of us take for granted are incredibly difficult for someone who can’t read or write. Finding and functioning in a job may be beyond the ability of a person who is illiterate. People without literacy skills make up a large percentage of criminals and substance abusers. Illiteracy contributes to a wide variety of problems that affect the individual and society as a whole.
The situation seems overwhelming. What can one person do in the face of so much need? Decide to do something and do it.
- Learn about the importance of literacy.
- Donate used books to a local literacy organization.
- Volunteer in a literacy program, a school, a library, or other organization that promotes literacy.
- Donate books you have written or books by a favorite author to an international literacy agency.
- Spread the word about literacy.
Today, let’s celebrate literacy and vow to wipe out illiteracy.
As I see it, literacy is synonym with education. That percentage also reflects the situation of the global economy. Practically 20% of the world lives in poverty and doesn’t have access to education. I can only hope that this percentage will decrease.
Irene,
You’re right that education and literacy go hand-in-hand.
Too bad that reading a book has become such an obsolete thing. It’s true that we live in the Internet era, but Internet can never replace the pleasure and satisfaction of reading a book.
Wendy,
The people I know read books, but I hang around with writers.
Writers are readers first.
I think the one thing I see on my travels around Latin America is that once we start seeing free education and the higher literacy that comes with it, we see drastic improvements in both living conditions and poverty rate.
Good point, Mark. Literate, educated people can work their way out of poverty. Economies of countries with higher literacy rates tend to be in better shape.
How did I not know about this earlier? You’d think they would have written about it somewhere… (grin). I joke, but really, illiteracy is one of those social problems I just don’t understand–it should be so simple, what with public schools. In the wilds of Africa or central Asia, I can understand it being a problem, but in the US? In Europe?
.-= –Deb´s last blog ..Writing Makes Everything Possible =-.
Deb,
This is a United Nations observance so it really is international and consequently includes the developing countries.
However, illiteracy is a serious problem in the US also. See the statistics quoted in my post on the Shadow Forest Authors literacy project.
If you count 20% as the illiteracy rate, then I’m sure you’re counting a lot of countries where the level of education is subpar and in many cases, places where there may not be a strong use of a written language. Unfortunately, it’s a fact of life that some places will be like this, and the only answer is to increase the awareness of writing as a necessary tool, and to promote strong educational acts. I consider myself fortunate to be living in a country where we have a really low illiteracy rate.
RW,
Yes, there are international statistics. But the statistics in the US are also appalling. Though there may be fewer people who can’t read or write at all, the Education Portal reports that 50% of adults in the US cannot read a book written at the 8th grade level. Many of those people may function well enough to hold down a job, but they still miss a lot.
20% is a huge percentage in adult illiteracy. This is something that I am concerned about, especially as a writer. I also feel bad for people in these situations who are not educated about Internet business, etc. because it is the main mode of business for the future. I appreciate you bringing up this topic because it is something that everybody needs to hear about!
C,
Yes, this is a serious problem around the world, and our future will be very different if the situation improves.
Lillie, among the 20% illiteracy, over 70% of the adults are from the Africa’s countries! I felt sorry for the adults, especially for those who can’t even read the simple ABC words…
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wilson,
I didn’t know that statistic. I knew there was a lot of poverty and illiteracy in Africa, but I didn’t realize it was that large a percentage. I expected a significant amount in South and Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
Who have update percentage? I’m confused to know the truth here… This articles said “Yet according to UNESCO, 20% of adults are illiterate”.
.-= victorcrums´s last blog ..Meladerm Result =-.
victor,
I don’t think there’s any controversy about the percentages. It’s just that some of the figures apply to the entire world and some to specific countries or regions. The numbers in my post are international, as this is International Literacy Day. However, in the comments some talked about the US or Africa. The numbers will vary considerably depending on where you talking about.
After you get that percentage what will you do Lillie?
.-= victorcrums´s last blog ..Meladerm Result =-.
victor,
I won’t do anything unless it’s to consider the information in deciding where to make donations. I’m just interested in understanding where the most serious problems are.
I agree with this blog literacy rates should be increased and for this we can provide free seminars and classes to those who cannot afford education.furthermore we can go personally and can provide basic education to the children in rural areas.
Purva,
If everyone who is concerned about this problem did something, together we could all make a big difference.
This is important to me, and I work with it at from the bottom. A good friend teaches English to challenged students (whether mentally or behaviorally), and I have helped her stock her classroom with books that I hope will capture the students’ interest.
.-= Ronnica´s last blog ..My Dream Wedding =-.
Ronnica,
You are doing a good thing, dealing with a specific situation and doing something specific to make it better. Sometimes people feel so overwhelmed with the big problem, they find it difficult to do anything because so much needs to be done. If each of us does something, that will result in a huge amount of energy being expended to resolve the problem.
in today world literacy is very important, without it you cant do anything
cedric,
You are right about the importance of literacy. I wonder what effect our casual writing online contributes to the appearance of illiteracy.
If 20% of adults are illiterate, (I think more than that, think in Middle East, and Asia)is blame of politics ant-education and television.
Patt,
I’m sure there are many parts of the world where the literacy rate is either higher or lower than the average. The causes of illiteracy are many and complex.
Lets make a change!
Karen,
Yes, if we all work together we can make a difference.
The mother of our maid couldnt read. So since my little sister is 10 years old and in school and loves to read she taught her how to read and write .
Lilly,
Your little sister is both very smart and very generous.
Where literacy is defined as the ability to read and write a simple sentence in any language, the United Nations reported that 80% of the world’s population was literate in 1998. Using the definition “age 15 and over can read and write”, the U.S. CIA World Factbook estimated in 2005 that the overall world literacy rate was 82% (male – 87%, female – 77%).[
monika,
Being able to read and write a simple sentence may make one literate according to the United Nations, but you need to be able to do much more than that to function effectively in a job and many other situations.
[...] is National Family Literacy Day. I’ve written about literacy before, and I recognize that family involvement in developing children’s literacy is [...]
I know of one of the key ministry for literacy is Literacy and Evangelism International (LEI), its main office is situated in our city, Tulsa. My wife participated in their summer internship program called ‘ILTI’ (International Literacy Training Institute). And she recommends it highly for anyone who is interested in a formal training for literacy.
.-= Chris@Bible Study Ideas´s last blog ..Persecuted for Righteousness: Beatitudes Bible Study Series – Part 8 of 8 =-.
Chris,
Thanks for this information. I wasn’t familiar with the organization.
Thanks Lillie,
Here is the website for the organization.
http://www.literacyevangelism.org/
Thanks, Chris. It looks like a good organization doing worthwhile work. I appreciate your telling me about it.
I’m not illiterate but I’ve struggled with reading for quite some time. The problem is mostly that I read incredibly slowly and dont have the patience to sit there.
Over the last few years I’ve made a strong effort to improve my abilities but it’s definitely hard. I can see where some less determined folks could give up very easily. Literacy efforts like this are very important.
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Mike,
I commend you for sticking with reading even though it’s difficult for you. Reading should be enjoyable, and it’s hard to enjoy something that requires you to struggle.
As we know that we have develop lots of things and we are looking forward for the new technologies but this is true that most of the population of the world is still not Literate so this is really a disgraceful thing for us.
Rock,
i hope we can improve this situation quickly.