ILLITERACY

Adding beauty to the one’s life is a dream of every individual. Being a successful is the
journey’s end of every struggle. Living a luxurious life is fond of every soul sustaining on this
Earth. Creating a strong pillar for economic development is the desired outcome of every
country. Having a knowledge and being educated is the need of era. Because knowledge is the
divine power that God has given us which is richer than anything or anyone else. It is just not
the way to get the job rather it is a tool that adds shine to one’s personality. And in order to
fulfill these goals, accomplish these desires and one of the major keys to success is being
“literate”. Unfortunately, many countries is full of illiterates, where illiteracy is one of the evil
prevailing in our society. This is one of the reason that our country is still demonstrated as
“Developing Country” rather than “Developed Country”.

Illiteracy is a state whereby one is unable to read and write. In its simplest form, it can
be defined as lack of any or sufficient education. A mistake in reading or writing that is seen to
be characteristic of an illiterate person is also referred to as illiteracy. For this definition, a
speech or letter that has several errors can be said to be full of illiteracies. Functional illiteracy,
on the other hand, is used to describe a situation where a person has writing and reading skills
considered inadequate to perform employment duties that demand reading and writing skills
that go beyond the basic level.

There are so many reasons why an individual can be illiterate. These are some of the
causes of the inability to read or write. First, Illiteracy among parents: Many illiterate parents
do not put much emphasis on the importance of education. Several of those born to parents who
can neither read nor write end up being illiterate. Next is, Lack of family support: This can be
the cause of illiteracy more so where a child has difficulty reading or writing because of dyslexia.
In a situation where the family does not understand the child’s condition, it may simply be
assumed that he or she is not a bright person and maybe school is not meant for everyone.
Another is, Unemployment of the educated: Some people believe that the only reason
someone should go to school is so that he or she can get a good job and make a good life.
Without the promise of employment, education is not a necessity to them. Lack of awareness
is also one of the causes because in places where several members of the local population do not
understand why it is important for them to go to school, the level of illiteracy may be high.
Disinterest in the benefits of formal learning can also be caused by lack of awareness on the
importance of going to school. Lastly, Poverty: Poor parents with low incomes find it difficult to
pay school fees. They are forced to choose between providing basic needs such as food, shelter
and clothing and taking their children to school. And due to all these above-mentioned issues
illiteracy rates are rising up.

Illiteracy has traditionally been viewed as largely a Third World problem. It is seen as
having a effect on a country's development. Here are some of the effects of illiteracy. First,
Illiteracy prevents society from developing at a steady rate: Many illiterate people are
unable to support themselves. They depend on support from family, friends and the government.
Next, High illiteracy rates increase the crime rates in society: This does not mean every
illiterate person is a criminal. However, some illiterate people commit crimes out of necessity. If
an illiterate person is jobless, he may be forced to steal to feed his family. Another is, Illiteracy
rates increase poverty in society: People who are illiterate always earn the lowest wages in
the society. If they can find a job, it is a job for people with low skill levels. As a result, illiterate
people may not earn enough money to support themselves and their families. Illiteracy
also affects the self-esteem of people in society: People who know how to read tend to be
more confident than illiterate people. People who have reading challenges spend a lot of time
trying to hide their low levels of literacy. And lastly, Illiteracy leads to generational learning
problems: Illiterate people are least likely to promote literacy to their children.
Consequently, their children may grow up to be illiterate adults as well. These leads to another
generation of people who struggle with basic reading and writing skills. Illiteracy is not an isolated
problem. When a society has a high illiteracy rate, each person is affected. As you can see,
increased illiteracy rates have the ability to diminish society.

The value of education cannot be underestimated. Many people like to think of it merely
as a process to gain knowledge. One can learn problem-solving skills and develop social
intelligence necessary to overcome everyday life challenges. Illiteracy has no room in the
modern society. So, let’s not illiteracy define the adjective for our country as “Developing
Country”. Create a society full of motivated and educated youths. Let us take an oath just not
to eradicate illiteracy major social evil but also to lighten up the light of every poor. And it’s time
to make our country a “Developed Country”.