4/7/2021 The importance of education: 5 ways literacy improves lives

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The importance of
education, how literacy
improves lives
Friday 31st March 2017
education (/tags/education)
Because I am a Girl (/tags/because-i-am-a-girl)

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4/7/2021 The importance of education: 5 ways literacy improves lives

Plan International UK (/users/planinternationalukblogs)

One of the ways in which Plan International UK aims to improve global literacy
statistics is by focusing on the importance of education (/about/our-work/education),
particularly in communities where opportunities to develop literacy skills are less
available to girls (/act-for-girls/about-because-i-am-a-girl/learn-without-fear). 15 million
girls will never have the opportunity to learn to read and write in primary school - this is
why we focus on supporting girls and their communities to end gender inequality in
education.

So how can literacy improve lives? Here are 5 ways:

Literacy lifts individuals out of poverty

Lacking basic reading and writing skills is a tremendous disadvantage. Literacy not
only enriches an individual’s life, but it creates opportunities for people to develop skills
that will help them provide for themselves and their family.

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4/7/2021 The importance of education: 5 ways literacy improves lives

Literacy improves the development of the wider

community
The positive knock-on effect of educating girls can be seen in the wider social and
economic benefits yielded for their communities. Increasing the emphasis towards
women’s education positively impacts on each generation through raised expectations
and increased self-esteem. Improving literacy facilitates employment whereby both
males and females can contribute, helping the wider economy and community to
thrive.

Literacy reduces infant mortality rates

Illiteracy directly affects an individual’s health and wellbeing, so the importance of
education on physical health is vital. Those without education are more likely to be
vulnerable to health problems, for example increased schooling reduces the risk of HIV
infection. According to one study of women in 32 countries: literate women are three
times more likely than illiterate ones
(http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0019/001905/190571E.pdf) to know that a person
in seemingly good health can be infected with HIV, and four times as likely to know
how to protect themselves from AIDS.

Infant mortality rates drop significantly for women who have had primary education,
and even more for those who complete secondary school. It is estimated that infant
mortality decreases 9% for every year of education attained
(http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0019/001905/190571E.pdf). This is because girls
and women are able to educate themselves on health issues, which can help reduce
the cycle of poverty and mortality rates in the long term.

Literacy empowers women and girls

The global illiterate population of young girls is 61.9 per cent
(http://www.uis.unesco.org/literacy/Documents/fs-29-2014-literacy-en.pdf) so the
importance of education for women cannot be understated.

Breaking the cycle of illiteracy and improving self-esteem is crucial for women and girls
in the developing world. By enabling them to become economically productive and
independent, they become empowered and can take control of their lives. The
importance of education in fostering personal autonomy, and creative and critical
thinking skills is central to helping girls contribute to their societies.

Literacy positively impacts economic growth beyond the

local community
The impact of improving literacy in girls not only has a positive economic impact at a
local and community level, but the productivity of the workforce flourishes at country
level too by enhancing a country’s economic strength.

How you can help improve a young girl’s life

You can support our continuing efforts to ensure all children receive a quality
education.

SPONSOR A CHILD
TO TRANSFORM A LIFE AND HELP THE WHOLE
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