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| -Image generated entirely by Microsoft Bing AI |
“Literacy is a fundamental human right for all. It opens the door to the enjoyment of other human rights, greater freedoms, and global citizenship. Literacy is a foundation for people to acquire broader knowledge, skills, values, attitudes, and behaviours to foster a culture of lasting peace based on respect for equality and non-discrimination, the rule of law, solidarity, justice, diversity, and tolerance and to build harmonious relations with oneself, other people and the planet.”
- Unesco
The theme for this year’s Literacy Day is Multilingual Literacy. The reason for this is to foster peace and understanding between cultures. As we stand on the brink of war, not to mention those already in progress, this comes not a moment too soon, if not far too late. The other reason is that knowledge of other languages and the insight into other cultures which it provides, enriches our own. It is also about protecting cultural heritage. When languages are allowed to die out, we lose potential knowledge unique perspectives which are not conveyed by other languages, dictionaries or Google Translate - much as I love them.
Other Benefits of Multilingual Education
The added bonus for students is that those who receive multilingual education tend to have not only more appreciation of other cultures, but better communication skills, enhanced cognitive and creative abilities, mental flexibility and improved job prospects in an increasingly globalised world.
The Importance of Literacy itself
Ever since the first caveman was able to scratch a line in the sand to let others who came after know which way he went, what lay ahead, or how far it was to the next waterhole, we have depended on various forms of mark -making to transmit information, convey feelings, bring inspiration and stimulate the imagination. We may have moved from sand to stone, from charcoal to papyrus, the quill pen and ink, to paper and the the Gutenberg Press, and now to purely electronic forms, but literacy – the ability to make and interpret symbols which can be understood by others, is still an underlying skill we need to be able to so effectively.
Traditionally, learning to read and write was the way we accessed knowledge and information, how we succeeded in schools and academic institutions and for many, how they progressed to successful careers. Yet many are still denied those opportunities. According to the UN, despite world -wide efforts to improve literacy rates and more people being able to read than ever before, there are still more people unable to read and write now than there were 50 years ago -some 765 million in 2022, two thirds of whom are women. In addition, 244 million children and young people aged 6 -18 are not in school – and of those who are – an estimated 20% manage to get through High School without attaining sufficient skill in basic reading and numeracy
Literacy Rates around the World from Our World in Data
While developing countries account for a substantial proportion of those numbers, it is quite shocking to discover that so many people in developed nations also lack sufficient literacy and numeracy skills to function fully in their societies.
In the USA for example, approximately 21% of Americans have low literacy skills – that’s 43 million people, and Australia has about 3.7% of its population aged 15 -74 with low literacy skills.
Why is that so many people still can’t read?
There are many reasons for this. In developing countries, population growth and poverty have ensured that the demand for literacy has continued to outstrip the supply of schools, teachers and other resources needed to satisfy it.
In developed nations the reasons are more complex and perhaps more related to unequal access to education, in line with growing inequality in those countries.
In less developed nations where family resources do not permit access to education for all, boys are still given preferential treatment in the provision of education, leaving many young women without. Early marriage is another limiting factor, along with some religious constraints on the education of women as we are now seeing with respect to Afghanistan.
Lack of literacy in Developed Countries
From what I’ve heard and read, there’s a vast difference between the way education is managed in various countries. For example in Germany, Finland and to some extent Australia, education has traditionally been a federal responsibility in terms of funding, curriculum and standards and free of political interference.
This contrasts sharply with the USA where it seems to be left to the whims and fortunes of individual districts and states and funding seems to be dependent upon the ability of individual communities to levy taxes. Whatever the reasons, there is considerable evidence of inequity and unequal access.
Unfortunately, Australia has been developing its own problems in that regard over the past decade or so, by generously funding private schools at the expense of the public sector, leading to a general decline in public education and cutting funding for education as a whole. This not only reflects rising income inequality, but greatly magnifies it, thereby undermining a long cherished Australian value, namely that of egalitarianism.
Social division increases when children from wealthier families and who are usually -with the possible exception of some poorer Catholic schools, are already better endowed with access to experiences and learning opportunities than children from economically disadvantaged families. Private schools do not need funding for elite equestrian centres, Olympic – sized swimming pools and high quality performing arts facilities, while public schools cannot meet basic educational needs, can’t afford air conditioning or are closed due to substandard plumbing.
Unfortunately, I do not think Australia is alone in this, with similar patterns well entrenched in other nations such as UK and the USA as well. This exacerbates inequality and social division, which isn’t something any society needs.
Finland remains the role model of choice as far as fair funding and elevation of education are concerned. It regards education as a public good which benefits the entire country. It funds all schools equally including its few private and presumably on a needs basis and private schools may not charge fees.
Teachers are drawn from the highest academic streams and tasked with ensuring each child attains its maximum potential. In consequence, Finland not only regularly tops rankings as the country with the highest academic standards, but also those for the world’s happiest country.
Other Barriers
Many children still enter their school life with undiagnosed learning difficulties such as autism or dyslexia or other kinds of disability. One person I knew was eight years old before someone noticed that he needed glasses and couldn’t see the backboard. Although things have subsequently improved in that regard in Australia, with children being tested before they enter Primary School, in his case, the damage was already done. It made him averse to all forms of academic learning.
Some children may be turned off by things like one bad teacher – or shall we be kind and say, simply one who was unsuited to that particular child, a bad experience such as bullying, a traumatic homelife or simply by the structured nature of modern education. In the past there were many avenues where people with limited education could excel – in agriculture for example, but fewer and fewer people are needed in such fields as automation and computerisation have replaced so much human labour.
The noble desire to include children with all kinds of disabilities in mainstream schools, has also had some drawbacks. Without additional funding and facilities, it places a greater burden on schools and teachers, who are already required to teach a great deal more than their peers did a few decades ago.
If we want to prevent burnout and stress among teachers, then any tasks which can be outsourced such as repetitive and administrative tasks, should be delegated to others or where possible to computers. Higher pay would also help to attract and retain more teachers, as well as ensuring that society paid them greater respect in societies where material wealth is accorded higher status than doing good.
Computer aided education can also greatly help students in allowing them to learn at their own pace and with less structure, perhaps even more than they might in a conventional classroom. Teachers may then be free to help those children who are struggling, or need emotional support, rather than having to teach the same one -size -fits – all lesson to children with wildly disparate ability.
There are wonderful programs for the vision impaired for example, Text to Speech technology, audio books and podcasts. For those unable to read or write for other reasons there are also visual and interactive learning modules. Online learning can also help to overcome issues such as distance from schools and mobility concerns.
Help for Adults without Literacy Skills
Many of the same online programs and technologies can also work for adults without literacy skills as well as helping them to acquire them. This is especially good for those who have previously been shamed for failing at literacy in school. However, many libraries and community organisations also run face -to -face adult literacy services such as Australia’s Reading and Writing Hotline which is just celebrating its 30th anniversary. I know someone who volunteers there and can vouch for the fact that he at least, is very approachable and patient. It is also free. I mention this and the following more as examples of what can be done.
Other Countries
-UNESCO’s Global Alliancefor Literacy (GAL) helps over 30 developing countries to achieve their literacy aims
·Room to Read, operates across Asia and Africa to provide books, support libraries and train teachers how to improve literacy programs
· Pratham is one of India’s largest non -government organisations working towards improving literacy and education for rural children with its Read India program.
·In the UK, The National Literacy Trust is a charity which provides resources, training and support to schools, families and communities for all ages, including adults.
·The Literacy for LifeProgram is to enable adult Aboriginal people to achieve greater literacy and life -long learning goals.
·The USA also has a number of adult literacy programs – the following are from a list generated by Bing AI:
·Proliteracy has been operating for 60 years and is longest running program to advance adult literacy in the USA and around the world. It does so by providing funding, training and resources to support adult literacy.
· Library of Congress: Offers reading resources for adults online, classic books, author webcasts and booklists
· LINCS (Literacy Information and Communication System): Managed by the U.S. Department of Education and provides resources and programs for adults to improve their reading, writing, maths and technology skills
Further Reading: I’ve just come across a lovely article by Laura Lambert on Brightly – an educational website, which talks about the Chinese model used to foster a love of reading via its Stone Soup Happy Reading Alliance – hint: it’s about generating emotional connection, also about South Korea and the benefits of multilingual learning, plus more detail about the Finnish education system, all in one short article.
Sadly, apart from funding cuts and declining standards, there are other threats to Education as a whole, or at least as we’ve known it – free, secular and universal. We will discuss these briefly next time.
-Thanks to Microsoft Bing AI for patiently responding to my quesions and offering helpful links
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