There are an estimated 1.3 billion of them in the world today. They can╣t read the newspaper nor write a letter to a dear friend. They can╣t fill out their own forms nor read great plays by Shakespeare and novels by Dickens. They are illiterates.
Not being able to read or write would be a big problem in todays world. Almost everything we do involves some sort of reading or writing. Whether it be driving and being able to read road signs to stay on track or just going grocery shopping where the ingredients section on a can of soup is a complete waste of writing. In our world today everything is starting to be run by computers and that means if you are illiterate you wouldn╣t be able to get a job involving any use of computers. Without good reading and writing skills your future would be very limited to what you can do.
Literacy comes in two different types. There is literacy where you can read up to and through college material and there is functional literacy where a persons reading and writing skills meet the demands of survival, work, and well being. For example, in the U.S. 98 percent of the country is literate but about 35 percent of those people have functional literacy. Most people who have functional literacy don╣t become as successful in the future as would a fully literate person. In every job in the world today a person will need at least some sort of literacy. It could be filling out work papers or reading directions.
North America isn╣t where the illiteracy problem lies. The problem lies in nations such as Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Three quarters of Africa and one half of Asi
2a is illiterate. Also, out of the twenty five poorest nations of the world, 80 percent of the people are illiterate. The cause for this is not having enough money and
enough schools for so many children. To become fully literate you have to go to school for at least twelve years and the better you do in school the more literate you╣ll become. To become more literate, people go to college or university and study something of their choice. If you do not go to school or you drop out you have a good chance of being illiterate or having only functional literacy. Illiterate people are not hopeless because there are now agencies like UNESECO and many community groups that are working to promote literacy.
I can╣t imagine what it must feel like not being able to read or write. Is it scary? Is it confusing? Is it a normal feeling? If we didn╣t ever learn to read and write we wouldn╣t have any written records to rely or look back on. Therefore we wouldn╣t be able to keep track of anything and our world would be very primitive still. Until now I never knew how many people had this problem and how serious it really was. A person who can╣t read these days is going to have troubles doing many basic things from getting a job to buying groceries at a grocery store. The power of the printed word really is an extraordinary. We read for enjoyment, to attain facts, to retrieve information, to receive simple instructions and directions and function in an organized, fulfilled manner. All people should have the opportunity to be at least functionally literate.
