Adult illiteracy

I  Introduction

  1. Adult illiteracy is a global crisis that has immense effects on the world population. That is why it’s imperative to have a clear understanding of the issues and confront them had on (NeCamp, n.p). It is important that we stand together and fight for the necessary changes.
  2. For a long time, illiteracy has been defined as the inability to read and write. However, the meaning has expanded over the years where it is concerned with the use of language, images, numbers and symbols.
  3. The concept has, in recent years, been concerned with skills of accessing knowledge through technology and also inability to comprehend complex contexts. Understanding these facts and underlying issues will be essential to providing a remedy to this global menace.

II Body

  1. Adult illiteracy is a critical hindrance to individual and societal success.
  2. It is imperative to note that individuals short of skills and knowledge have limited opportunities for success. This group of individuals lacks the capacity to implement or even start projects that are helpful to themselves or the society at large.
  3. It is, therefore, essential to understanding the link between literacy levels and social mobility. Having a literate society, the levels of development and social welfare will improve substantially.
  4. Adult illiteracy has also lead to increased non-productivity in most countries globally. It is important to understand that people aged between 16-65 years are the hope of the national development and productivity.
  5. The levels of unemployment are positively correlated with the increased levels of illiteracy. It is, therefore, important to understand that high level of adult illiteracy will translate to low or incapable workforce that is detrimental to the overall growth of the global economy.
  6. Economies will lose more in terms of taxes and relief expenses as the poverty levels escalate.
  7. Another major impact of increased levels of illiteracy is the increased healthcare costs.
  8. a) Low literacy levels are responsible for unhealthy society.

b)The illiterate adults lack the capacity and knowledge of how to live healthy lifestyles.  For instance, adult illiteracy levels can lead to malnutrition diseases since they lack nutritional knowledge (Jossey, n.p).

  1. It is also this group of illiterate people that are likely to suffer illnesses as a result of failure to maintain the required health standards. Diseases such as cholera, diarrhea and malaria are common to this group (Reddy and Tirupati, 78)
  2. Illiterate adults also lack knowledge on the benefits of vaccinations for various diseases such as polio and smallpox. As a result, mortality rates are more evident in less literate population than where the literacy levels are commendable
  3. Illiteracy among the adults has also been a major factor to the increase in HIV/AIDS infections and other infectious diseases. The governments also lose billions of money in terms of healthcare costs.
  4. Adult illiteracy also has adverse effects on the young generation or the children. It is important to note that intergenerational illiteracy will have detrimental effects on children.

1a. Children born of illiterate parents will start schooling at advanced age as compared to their peers (Anthony, 64).

1b. such parents will not offer the necessary support and thus high likelihood of poor performance from children born to illiterate parents. This will result in a vicious cycle of poverty.

  1. With such information in mind, it is imperative that we design ways and means of eradicating this menace (Guzzetti, 39).

1a.  Increased levels of literacy will translate to personal and societal improvements. For instance, it has been noted that an increase of 1% in literacy level translates to 1.5% permanent increase in GDP. Such improvements mean reduced poverty, reduced health problems and an overall increase in societal welfare

  1. For us to achieve this milestone, it is necessary to cultivate a learning culture for our children at tender ages. It will also be essential to conduct civic education to the adults on major issues affecting the society so as to create a well-informed society.
  2. The introduction of adult classes will offer the adult population with an opportunity to get new skills and knowledge (Rogers, 68).

III Conclusion

  1. In conclusion, it is clear that the level of adult illiteracy is alarming and is a global crisis. As a result, there has been a great loss both economically and socially.
  2. The increased illiteracy level has resulted in increased crime, healthcare costs, poverty and unemployment.
  3. Though literacy have been defined as the ability to read, write and spell, it is imperative that we define it in a broader perspective such as gaining skills through technology and understanding complex context (Titmus, 54). This will enable the society to have more gains related to literacy
  4. The advantages associated with increased literacy levels will lead increased social- economic benefits. It is, therefore, wise for us to work round the clock to ensure that literacy in our society is at the greatest heights possible.
  5. It is, however, important to understand that this objective cannot be realized if we fail to own up this problem and be proactive in looking for solutions.

 

Work cited

Anthony, Osemeka. The Freirean Approach to Adult Literacy Education. Munchen: GRIN Verlag, 2009. Print.

Guzzetti, Barbara J. Literacy for the New Millennium. Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 2007. Print.

Learning, National Center for the Study of Adult, and John Comings. The Annual Review of Adult Learning and Literacy, Volume 2. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2001. Print.

NeCamp, Samantha. Adult Literacy Et American Identity: The Moonlight Schools Et Americanization Programs. Carbondale: Southern Illinois U, 2014. Print.

Reddy, P., and India Tirupati. Current Trends in Adult Education. New Delhi: Sarup & Sons, 2006. Print.

Rogers, Patricia. Encyclopedia of Distance Learning. 2nd ed. Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference, 2009. Print.

Titmus, C.J. Lifelong Education for Adults An International Handbook. Burlington: Elsevier Science, 2014. Print.

 
Do you need an Original High Quality Academic Custom Essay?