ILLITERACY remains a major global problem despite the tremendous scientific and technological advancements in recent decades, and this problem is certainly putting a brake on socio-economic development in many societies, particularly in the developing world.
Ironically, many rich countries are also seriously affected.
An official United States publication notes: “Although few would be surprised at the existence of any adult illiteracy in Central Africa, Asia or Latin America, the perhaps unpalatable truth lies much closer to home (US).”
The CIA World Fact Book indicates that Australia has zero illiteracy, and yet once again, adult literacy classes are overwhelmed with applicants. Jean Searle of Griffith University remarks that until the public awareness campaigns of the 1970s brought adult literacy to the attention of the media, the government officially claimed there was no adult illiteracy in Australia.”
In Britain, the latest Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) study on 16 to 65-year-olds, finds that 22% of the population in England and Wales is functionally illiterate compared to 25% in Ireland and 20% in France, but still out performed the U.S.
Across Europe, around 10% of the population falls into the low skills category, according to the International Adult Literacy Survey, carried out and published by the (UK) Office for National Statistics.
Of great concern in the U.S. is the fact that the acknowledged 4% may be a ‘conservative’ estimate, to say the least. Other studies conducted by non-U.S. agencies have placed the estimate of adult illiteracy at closer to 10%. Across the country, adult literacy classes are jammed beyond capacity.
The Outreach Programmes of the New York Public Library enrolls around 1,000 adults per year in their literacy-tutoring programme, mentored by volunteers, with another 500 accessing their self-paced digital lessons via computer.
A further 2,000 are in group tuition with professional language teachers. Almost every major city has similar programmes, often facilitated by the district library system.
Here in Guyana, the problem has been recognised and measures and programmes are being implemented by the Ministry of Education to address it, particularly within the school system.
According to Education Minister Shaik.Baksh, his ministry’s competency-based approach to education is supported by critical assessments at grades two and four of the primary level and he said that a literacy certification component has been added to the National Grade Four Assessment.
He emphasised that, within the school system, thousands of teachers have been and continue to be trained to effectively deliver the literacy instructional programme.
Mr. Baksh said the National Literacy Unit has been maintaining constant, focused programmes, to raise literacy standards at all levels of the education system and the work force.
He said, only a few months ago, an additional 40 literacy educators completed training and have joined an existing pool of 300, working both with in-school learners and out-of-school youths in all the education districts throughout the country to eliminate this problem from society.
Mr. Baksh added that strong emphasis is being placed on literacy and numeracy at all Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions and, to date, these programmes have recorded encouraging results.
These are indeed positive and welcome developments within the education system and should be sustained.
However, there is also need to tackle the problem of adult illiteracy. At the moment it seems that there is little emphasis on this aspect of the literacy programme, but it is a crucial area to the country’s socio-economic developmental thrust because there are many illiterate/semi-literate workers who have working years and will find it difficult to cope with the emerging work environment in another decade where being literate will not be an option but a necessity.
This will be so because by that time, computer literacy would be almost essential for most jobs and if workers do not master basic literacy then mastering computer literacy would be an almost impossible proposition.
This, of course, would put them at a severe disadvantage which in turn could have long term adverse effects on productivity levels and by extension on the national economy.
It is therefore an imperative that the authorities immediately implement measures to address this problem.