causes and effect of illiteracy on society
Illiteracy has traditionally been viewed as largely a third world problem.
However, it is becoming apparent that in countries such as the USA and Australia, illiteracy is on the increase.
Discuss possible causes for this and its effect on society.
Answer
Illiteracy has been considered as a huge problem which affects the development of the world especially poor countries. However, in recent years, it has been becoming a major concern of developed countries in western areas such as the USA and Australia. In this essay, I will present some causes and consequences of illiteracy to the whole society.
First of all, finance is probably one of the primary reasons leading to illiteracy. Difficult living conditions together with high tuition fee are putting pressures on poor families. As a result, children have to drop out of school to earn money to support their families despite the incompletion of educational levels. Another reason can result from a shortage of books at home and stimulation as to the importance of reading. Thanks to technology, these days, everyone could be accessible easily to any source of books but most people usually spend their time on surfing the Internet or playing games. According to the United Nations, one adult in three in the world could not read, write or do a simple sum in writing.
Illiteracy has an detrimental impact on the improvement of current society . The gross domestic product of any country is highly affected by literate rate. The growth rate is greatly slowed down as the number of adults with low literacy proficiency increases. Therefore, this can hold down a society by preventing it from growing. Furthermore, there is a significant growth in the rate of unemployment of illiterate people. For example, in Germany, there are 23.000 adults attending literary course annually. Some 69% of them are unskilled male workers.
In conclusion, illiteracy is undeniably an overwhelming issue to deal with. Governments and everyone should take actions and find urgent solutions to tackle the problem.