The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) claims there are 900 million people in the world that are illiterate. This number covers about 25% of the world’s population. This means that nearly a quarter of people aged 16 to 65 are functionally illiterate.
What does being illiterate really mean?Well let’s start by looking at what literacy means. Literacy is the ability to communicate by either reading or writing. To be literate means to be able to understand, interpret, analyse, and respond to different types of information. This can be information that is written, visual or oral. So, to be illiterate, means not being able read or write but also not being able to interact with and understand different texts.
Who does it affect?Illiteracy in Australia affects a lot of people. A survey conducted in 2000 found that about 45% of Australians have poor literacy skills. This means the affected people struggle with things like reading a parking ticket or a TV guide.
Illiteracy levels among Australia’s Indigenous people are quite high for a concentrated group. A recent forum about illiteracy in Southern Arnhem Land noted that in many small communities, illiteracy applied to 93% of the population. Although it must be noted that Indigenous literacy levels are often based on English literacy and English is actually a second language for some Indigenous people.
How do people become illiterate?There are a number of reasons why some people have very limited reading and writing skills. These often stem from obstacles people face growing up, like a lack of access to education or an unrecognised or untreated learning difficulty.
Adult attitudes to education can also affect their literacy. Some adults believe they are too old or simply not good enough to return to education. Often they identify learning with a formal education system only and do not recognise or know about other avenues that can be taken to improve literacy.
Another reason for illiteracy is the affect of cultural change. For example, some migrants arriving in Australia may not understand English very well, and due to economic reasons, need to begin work instead of dedicating time to learning the language.
Limited access to education is a problem for some people living in Australia. For example, recent data indicates that Indigenous Australian school students attend school about 84% of the time, while non-Indigenous students attend about 93%. This gap widens in secondary school when Year 10 Indigenous students are absent up to three times more often than their non-Indigenous class mates.
Most people with limited literacy skills will take up a profession where they do not need to have high-level reading and writing skills. These people are very unlikely to have the same opportunities in the work force, and will undoubtedly be held back from opportunities.
How do we combat illiteracy in Australia? The key to developing literacy comes from education from an early age. For this reason, looking at the education system and its way of understanding the learning needs of individuals is essential. More funding set aside for the development of literacy skills in children and young people would be a good start.
There are a number of organisations working to increase literacy levels in Australia. Adult Learning Australia coordinates Adult Learners Week
http://www.adultlearnersweek.org), which takes place in the first week of September each year, in an effort to raise the profile of adult learning in Australia. Another useful resource is the Reading Writing Hotline. This national telephone service gives advice and provides referrals for literacy and numeracy services.
How do other countries compare?The Australian Bureau of Statistics found that the rate of literacy in Australia is lower than Sweden, about equal with Canada, and higher that the United States.
How do I know this?Australian Bureau of Statistics 1999, ‘Australians' literacy skills: How do they rate internationally?’,
Year Book Australia 1999,
http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs@.nsf/90a12181d8...Australian Council for Adult Literacy,
Surveys and beyond, the case for adult literacy,
http://www.acal.edu.au/publications/papers/acal_vi...Bantick, C 2005, ‘In a word, disgraceful’, _ The Age_, 25 November,
http://www.theage.com.au/news/education-news/in-a-...Beddie, F 2003, ‘Adult Learners Week’,
Perspective, 4 September,
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/perspective/stories...Department of Education, Science and Training,
Learning for all,
http://www.dest.gov.au/archive/iae/analysis/learni...Femail Magazine 2006,
Australian Reader’s Challenge 2006,
Femail Magazine, 16 June,
http://www.femail.com.au/australian-readers-challe... Supporting Adult and Applied Learning and Teaching,
http://www.aris.com.au/ The Reading Writing Hotline
http://www.literacyline.edu.au/about.html
