“Knowledge is Power.” When people are asked what the key to success in life is, a few things come to their mind: being charismatic, being born into a wealthy family and knowing the right people, have a high paying job, or just plain luck. Although all of the above are true, the true key to success is knowledge. To have knowledge is to have options is to have power. Illiteracy is derived from the lack of knowledge or awareness from people. To eradicate the social divide and economic decline people must first be informed of the causes and effects of illiteracy to draw an affective solution.
The impending threats to global infrastructure are not economic collapse, terrorism, climate changes, overpopulation, poverty, or even lack of fossil fuels; it is a deeper and simpler threat- illiteracy, (Top Ten List). The estimated cost of global economy is USD 1.19 trillion dollars. One-fifth of the world is suffering with illiteracy, which means there are more than 796 million people who unable to read or write, (Cree, Kay, and Steward). This large number can be attributed to many causes such as attitudes towards learning, geographical factors, disabilities, and gender bias, (Nayak). Problems are present in third world countries as well as first world countries. These people are “trapped in a cycle of poverty with limited opportunities for employment or income generation,” (Cree, Kay, and Steward). This cycle of poverty leads to other problems such as crime, dependence on welfare, health issues, unemployment or debt.
Illiterate people earn about “30%-40% less than literate counterparts,” (Cree, Kay, and Steward). The income they make stays consistent throughout their lives. On the other hand, literate people make 2 or 3 times more than wha...
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... affects economy because of lost profitability and productivity, (Cree, Kay, and Steward). Constantly having to fix mistakes and losing potential customers are an opportunity cost from having illiterate employees. The cost of finding a skilled staff to fix issues is very difficult for smaller businesses. Illiterate employees make communication harder and often miscommunicate causing internal problems. Illiteracy “costs a developed nation 2% of its GDP, an emerging economy 1.2% of GDP, and a developing country 0.5% of GDP,” (Cree, Kay, and Steward). Illiteracy limits the ability to access, comprehend, and apply health related issues thus resulting in a household with poor personal hygiene and nutrition.
Illiterate people are trapped in a “cycle of poverty” and are more likely to turn to a life of crime and depend on social welfare and charity, (Cree, Kay, Steward).
Literacy programs should be an integral component of every community. Not only do these programs serve adults and foreigners, but they also serve those that live with the problems of poverty throughout their daily lives. In 2000-2001, 15.7% of students missed 21 or more days during the school year. Students who miss many days of school because of illnesses beyond their control often fall behind in their studies. Many literacy programs help these students excel in what otherwise would have been a deficiency in their learning.
When talking about illiteracy there is a distinction between functional and primary illiterate, with the latter being persons that have absolutely no skills of reading and writing in any language and the former having possibly received some years of basic education but currently no more than the most basic writing and reading skills (OECD, 2013, Grotlüschen & Riekmann 2012). This may lead to devastating limitations of everyday life and professional life as well as dependence on others or isolating aspects. In this paper I will only refer to functional illiterates. There are 4.4 million functional illiterates with German as their first...
Illiteracy poses a threat to political, economical and social constructions that shapes the individual life. Jonathan Kozol laid out the idea that illiteracy is detrimental to human lifestyle. He supported that claim, saying, “Illiterates live an uninsured existence,” meaning that they cannot take care of themselves, as they are unable to make the right decisions. This disability burdens them because they can’t be independent but dependent on a friend, family, co-worker, or a stranger. Undeniably, in the “I Just Wanna Be Average” text, one sees Ken Harvey’s story of growing up, being labeled as “slow”, which he took for granted and believed it. As a result of that Ken didn’t want to become better, he just wanted to get by and be “average”. Which could be considered an example of not having his own identity as Ken assumed the one he was given, of being “Slow”. This, example confirms Jonathan Kozol’s views on illiterates in our society. Therefore, we see a point of commonality concerning our society and the school system that is meant to educate us and help us become better human beings but otherwise fails to, as it separates the somewhat educated from the ones that are considered beyond average. This similarity reveals the
In an impecunious third world country, a penny can procure a pencil. The penny is 1% of a U.S. dollar. This parallels the 1% Gross Domestic Profit goal set by the United Nations. This goal enlists the help of developed countries to give 1% of their gross domestic profit to an underdeveloped third world country. By giving 1% of a dollar to an impoverished country, one can buy a student a pencil; therefore allowing them to become literate. For a single dollar, one can promote literacy for an entire village. If an adolescent or young adult becomes literate, he or she can help the whole family by reading newspapers and keeping up with current events (Mortenson and Relin 283). In Pakistani bazaars, food comes wrapped in newspaper. If a family has even one literate member, that person can read about the daily news when the food is unwrapped (Morten...
In the prevailing and traditional definition, literacy is regarded as central to helping people obtain and retain employment, which is the key to moving them from dependency toward greater self-sufficiency. This functionalist definition, espoused by many policymakers, funders, and employers, is based on the assumption that there are jobs for the poor who are able to i...
As the world advances through the modern age of information and connectivity, having a literate society is crucial to being able to work effectively with the outside world. Jonathan Kozol’s book, The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society, portrays the life of illiterates in the modern world and argues that society has an ethical obligation to fix the problem of illiteracy. Kozol believes that illiteracy has the greatest effect on the education of current and future generations, the way food is consumed and wasted, and various economic costs to both illiterates and those around them. Kozol’s main point throughout his book is that society as a whole needs to face the problem of illiteracy, as not one single group or person can do it on their own.
The United States generally looks at education as a path to success but the people with the longest road towards success are not getting enough education. In the years before kindergarten, children form their basic thinking skills and children who don't learn these at home fall behind everyone else. In most cases children in poverty do not achieve these skills to the extent of middle-class children from their environment at home. When poor children enter school they are generally a year and a half behind the language abilities of their middle-class peers. Already children of poverty are behind in their ...
Many great minds believe that education is a powerful tool. Investing in your education is the most valuable and most rewarding thing a person can do to secure their future. Influential people who have brought positive changes to the world have said: “The investment in knowledge pays the best interest”. (Franklin). “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”. (Nelson Mandela). “A brighter future starts with an education”. (Montgomery).
Literacy, or the capability to comprehend, translate, utilize, make, process, assess, and speak information connected with fluctuating settings and displayed in differing organizations, assumes an essential part in molding a young's persons trajectory in life. The ability to read speaks to a key factor of scholarly, social, and financial success (Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1998). These abilities likewise speak to a fundamental segment to having a satisfying life and turning into an effective worker and overall person (Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1999). Interestingly, recent studies have demonstrated that low reading skills lead to critical hindrances in monetary and social achievement. As stated by the National Center for Education Statistics, adults with lower levels of reading skills and literacy have a lower average salary. Another study evaluated that 17 to 18 percent of adults with "below average" literacy aptitudes earned less than $300 a week, though just 3 to 6 percent of adults with "proficient" reading abilities earned less than $300 a week (Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1998).
The purpose of this assignment is to explain the impact of English language learners in the classroom. As a foreign student, English language learner in the United States faces multiple challenges for achieving academic success. To successfully complete a task, they need to master both English as a language and how it is used in core content classes especially when they are an adult. When trying to assist in instructing English language learners, they usually have many concepts and language abilities that they need to master, as do the teachers that are trying to teach them. With the incorporation of the concepts and approaches to identify and assess the issues and concerns that we have learned in our classroom instruction, such as lesson preparation,
“While it is true that more books are sold today than ever, recent statistics show that only about 15% of books bought today are read. Evidently, they are of more use as furniture—coffee-table books—than as a source of information or aesthetic buzz. The statistics continue; of those that are read, less than 20% are read all the way through. The unfinished book symbolizes the state of attention spans today”. Eric McLuhan opens up his 2010 argument against technology with this quote. He seems to believe that literacy is only fully achieved through limited technology and hard copies of books. He fails to realize there is more to literacy that picking up a book defined as a ‘classic’ and reading it cover to cover. Literacy covers all spans of artistic
The ability to write well is not a naturally acquired skill; it is usually learned or culturally transmitted as a set of practices in formal instructional settings or other environments. Writing skills must be practiced and learned through experience. Writing also involves composing, which implies the ability either to tell or retell pieces of information in the form of narratives or description, or to transform information into new texts, as in expository or argumentative writing. Perhaps it is best viewed as a continuum of activities that range from the more mechanical or formal aspects of “writing down” on the one end, to the more complex act of composing on the other end (Omaggio Hadley, 1993). It is undoubtedly the act of
I chose this topic because education is all around me. I am literally surrounded by illiteracy. From the moment I leave my door, to the moment I return, I am able to witness illiteracy in my society. Therefore, I could connect well to this particular topic in detail. So many children younger than me, of my age and also people elder to me do not have access to education. Even though 86.1% of the world is illiterate (CIA World Factbook), the other 14.9% have absolutely no access to education!
Education plays a vital role in shaping tomorrows’ leaders. Not only can we become a better nation by acquiring the skills necessary to be productive members of a civilized society. Increase knowledge to actively achieve and meet challenges that can produce changes in which are productive for attaining business innovations, political and economic objectives.
· The illiterate does not have the reading and writing skills to reinforce these skills in their children.