Message-ID: <3.0.5.32.19990118092420.01a29ea0@mail.monmouth.com> Date: Mon, 18 Jan 1999 09:24:20 -0500 From: Wilbur Streett <mailto:WStreett@MAIL.MONMOUTH.COM> Subject: Re: Unicef: one billion illiterates (fwd To: mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU
At 08:55 PM 1/17/99 -0400, you wrote: >------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
>
>/** twn.features: 303.0 **/
>** Topic: New millenium will see one billion illiterates **
>** Written 8:56 AM Jan 14, 1999 by mailto:twnet@po.jaring.my in
cdp:twn.features ** >
>
>NEW MILLENNIUM WILL SEE ONE BILLION ILLITERATES
>By Thalif Deen
>January 1999
>
>According to the United Nations Children's Fund, the world will enter the
>new millennium with an estimated one billion illiterate people, about 130
This statistic must be made up. Last I heard, 1 out of 5 Americans is illiterate.. and the world is running at something like 65% illiterate.
I haven't followed the world population in the past decade, but at 65% the numbers don't work out to as little 1 Billion.
The other thing that bothers me about this entire message is the attempt to claim that we can change the literacy rate in any substantial way. Reading isn't a natural part of being human. We started with it 3,500 years ago, and so far, about 1/3 of the population is considered "Literate". Here in America, where almost every child is subjected to 12 years of schooling, (OK, some drop out..) we still have only 4/5 of the population that is considered literate.
Now term "Literate" actually doesn't only mean "read and write" but ability to comprehend what is going on. In the case of "read and write" what passes as literate doesn't mean that the people can actually comprehend what is going on. Being able to read as well as a 10 year old is considered "Literate" here in the US. Now how many 10 year olds know what is going on? With supposedly on 2 out of 100 Americans being able to read a college textbook sufficiently to PASS a class, what does that mean for "Literacy"?
People don't starve because they can't read. People starve because they are hungry.
Wilbur
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