Do you think is your country on the list of 16 most illiterate countries in the world? Resources are not the only reason illiteracy is often prevalent in a country. Often cultures disregard the importance of education. Parents who grew up without getting an education often believe that their children don’t need one too and that it’s just a waste of money, and the cycle continues.
Literacy is the basis for lifelong learning and plays an essential role in creating sustainable, progressive and peaceful societies. Illiteracy is ignorance of letters, ignorance in the skill of reading and writing. The criterion by which a person is classified as illiterate is different from country to country. Somewhere it is considered illiterate if it does not know how to read or write, and somewhere if it cannot read and write. In some countries, such as Japan, Hong Kong, and Guyana, a person is considered illiterate if he does not have an elementary education. UNESCO, by its resolution in the middle of the 20s century, recommends that uneducated people be called people who do not know how to read or write a simple text about everyday life. Most of them are illiterate in Asia, and the most notable are the population of Africa because some countries have a very high illiteracy rate. Did you know that about 20% of the world’s population is illiterate? While education in Senegal is free as well as compulsory, the government allows an exception for parents who prefer an Islamic education for their children. Another one is Mauritania. The literacy rate is over 50 percent. Even though the literacy rate is still quite low, the country had come a long way when compared to its educational structure when it achieved its independence, when the literacy stood at around 5 percent. The biggest illiteracy rate is in Africa and Asia. If you look at internet forums and discussions, and even on some public bulletin, you will probably conclude that literacy has fallen on small branches. Shortly, the literacy of the workforce will be worse than it is today. According to research, in most of the Anglo-Saxon countries, half of the population is halfhearted, but there are employers quite strict on candidates with modest language skills. Many candidates mistakenly conclude that spelling, grammar, and syntax do not play a role if the advertised workplace does not include writing, but basic literacy – as well as the basics of mathematics – is to some extent important for every job.
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