By Olakunle Agboola
Prof. Jide Ashaolu, a senior lecturer from Faculty of Graduate School of Business Leadership, University of South Africa yesterday said, “The cost of illiteracy (being unable to read) is deceptively far-reaching. Illiteracy limits people in developing countries and inner cities stifles opportunities for innovation and dampens the economic potential of hundreds of millions. Reading and writing are essential skills for economic mobility.”
He continued, “Illiteracy is a worldwide problem. According to UNESCO, there are more than 770 million people around the world who cannot read or write. Children cannot learn through Google, Wikipedia or local news outlets if they cannot read. Entire cities with high illiteracy rates face bleak economic prospects. The future of the internet, and our ability to leverage it for innovation, are critical economic concerns.”
He made to this disclosure yesterday while opening a day Summit organized by University South Africa in conjunction with Eduliterate organization.
The event titled, “The Costs of Illiteracy on Global Economy” was organized to draw attention to illiteracy and its huge cost on the global economy. The summit was channeled towards developing countries waking up to reduce the percentage of illiteracy and also encouraging developed countries not to relent in the scourge of reducing the percentage of illiteracy globally.
The guest speaker, Prof Albert Jones of Department of the International Relations University of Chicago said, “Seven million UK residents are functionally illiterate according to government figures. The United States alone, one in seven persons (i.e., over 40 million people) can barely read a job offer or utility bill.”
Among the Arab states, more than 25% of men and 50% of women were not literate as of 2015. The most likely reason for low levels of literacy is lack of education.
“Many people in the developing countries cannot see the point of learning to read, as they are able to function perfectly well without doing so and that is why Illiteracy is most prevalent in South Asian, Arab and sub-Saharan African countries with the highest illiteracy rates of about 40 to 50%.”
“Nevertheless, illiteracy is still a global problem causing huge loss on the global economy. This summit is a wakeup call for all continents to reduce the scourge of illiteracy. The government of both developed and developing world has to be more responsible in ensuring the reduction of illiteracy to the barest minimum.”
According to Prof. Tunde Cole of International Relations Department, the University of Johannesburg, “Nearly two-thirds of adult women worldwide cannot read. What that amounts to are untapped economic opportunities. It means that women who would otherwise have the ability to become entrepreneurs, government officials or engineers simply cannot contribute to their communities. When 60% of women worldwide are limited by the easily solved problem of illiteracy, their collective economic potential is being left on the sidelines.”
He said, “According to the World Literacy Foundation, “The cost of illiteracy to the global economy is estimated at USD $1.19 trillion. The effects of illiteracy include; limited opportunities for employment or income generation and higher chances of poor health, turning to crime and dependence on social welfare or charity. For a problem that can be solved with books and teachers, illiteracy remains remarkably expensive for too many countries.”
In his remarks, Prof. John Young of Department of International Relations, Harvard University, noted that studies by the Heritage Institute indicate that illiteracy is not the result of poverty, but of cultural factors that limit students’ access to learning opportunities and lower reading aptitude expectations.
In His Words: “UNESCO explains that in some countries, political conditions prevent the formation of the reading culture and educational resources necessary to prevent illiteracy. War, for instance, drafts many youths in developing countries into the military. These youth never had the opportunity to learn to read, and they perpetuate a culture of illiteracy among their families as adults.”
Earlier, Prof Olatunde Anthony who is the Creative Director of Eduliteracy international said, He is happy for the smooth running of the summit and most especially the partnership with the University of South Africa to create more awareness on illiteracy and probable solutions.
He believes the summit will go a long way for each continent to reinforce possible measures to increase the level of literacy of their citizens as illiteracy will continually affect the global economy if nothing is done.
The summit had several Academic Prowess including Professors, Doctors, and Students in attendance.
