An Essay on Illiteracy

What are some causes and effects of illiteracy?

Understanding and Solving the Problem of Illiteracy

If we can send a people to the moon, should not every person on earth have the ability and opportunity to read and write well? Knowing how to read and write, or being literate, is must for succeeding in today's technologically advanced and quickly evolving (developing/growing) global society. Every person needs to acquire literacy in his/her early development, because reading and writing are useful skills in so many daily activities, from reading newspapers and medicine bottles, to writing letters, emails, and reports. Being literate also develops the mind, imagination, and critical thinking skills. However, many people in the world are not literate, and many do not even have the opportunity to become literate in their lifetime. As par UNESCO, nearly 1 in 6 people in the world are illiterate, and more than 65% of that number is women. This number is increasing as well, due to the high birth rates in illiterate societies. Therefore, in order to understand more about this significant phenomenon, a few of the causes, effects, and solutions to illiteracy will be discussed.

One of the major causes of illiteracy is poverty. Realistically, students sometimes have to quit school in order to work on the farm or in a factory in order to feed his family and to meet the basic necessities of life. Related to this issue, a well-known psychologist wrote that people deprived of basic needs, such as shelter, food, clothes, and basic safety, are less likely to develop themselves with higher education. In other words, economic instability can affect the ability of a population to become literate.

The effects of illiteracy often negatively impact a nation’s ability to develop its human resources. Countries with a high illiteracy rate cannot be as involved in high tech jobs. Another major effect of illiteracy is not having access to basic information that is distributed via books, newspapers, or the Internet. In short, illiteracy does not encourage positive social change, personal growth, or the preservation and development of language and culture.

How can illiteracy be overcome? One of the best solutions to solve the stubborn problem of literacy is to teach parents to read, so that they can in turn teach their children. If the adult women are educated first, each generation will be able to read and write. This practice will be repeated. As a result, society tends to develop further capacities, and further value literacy.

In conclusion, illiteracy has many interrelated (solid) causes and effects. In many countries literacy rates is increasing. Economic development of these countries is also increasing in a similar fashion. Thus, one could easily argue that the increase in literacy is directly correlated with positive economic growth. In the past, education was not required, but in this day, universal education is becoming a necessity. Therefore, innovative (modern) solutions should be implemented to take advantage of this unique time in history.