We are fortunate
Today is International Literacy Day — it is one of the days to celebrate, even though a lot of people forget the beauty of being literate. To be able to read and write and express our emotions through language. On this day, let us help each other combat illiteracy just by helping one person at a time to read and write.
From Mr Albert Gayo
UAE
Literacy solves social problems
Literacy can be considered the ability to read or write languages and numbers. Education is a human right and it serves as a foundation for lifelong learning. It can help one attain their goals in life and uphold their socio-economic status. Illiteracy acts as a hindrance in the development of an individual and in one’s pursuit of attaining a better quality of life, which in turn affects the society as a whole.
The violence that we read about in the developing and under-developed nations is in some way due to illiteracy. Literacy can solve many social problems.
An educated nation is a progressive one. We, as adults, must have a good level of literacy and should encourage our children, as they are our future. The coming generations must keep up with today’s and tomorrow’s complex and ever-evolving society and the key to that is being literate and well-educated.
From Ms Qudsiya
UAE
Full name withheld on request
No teachers for schools
As a child, I have heard from my elders about the importance of education and learning. They used to stress on the education of women, since educating a woman is like educating a generation. I, being a Muslim, know a saying from Prophet Mohammad [PBUH], where he said we must get an education even if we have to travel to China! China was symbolic, as it was the farthest living society from the Arabian desert, for people with humble travel means.
The purpose was to show the importance of literacy, even in the early days of Islam. Now, if we look around the globe, we often find that most of the economic, industrial and scientific growth is in the West. The main reason is because they focused on literacy and learning, as a top priority. The ruling elite in most of the countries with the lowest literacy rates in the world are still allocating the lowest per cent of their annual budgets for education and literacy. The best way to let these countries with low literacy rates grow, is to enhance the number of literacy-based projects by world economic development bodies.
I am a Pakistani and 70 years old now, and I have seen in the last 25 years, very nice schools and basic health units in rural communities in the Subcontinent. But many have no teaching/medical staff and thus, no students. These beautiful buildings do have uses as stables for horses, donkeys and cows owned by the influential, elected elite of the areas. Some of the television channels dare show detailed programs on the subject with audio-video proof, but there is no practical action from the so-called democratically elected ruling elite.
From Mr Syed Amjad Ali
Lahore, Pakistan
A nation of humanity
This year marks the 50th anniversary of International Literacy Day and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) is celebrating it under the banner: “Reading the past, writing the future.”
Contemplating the quote, I find that literacy has always been the foundation for being a better person. Most of us were taught to read and write from the moment we first remember. There are many who still do not enjoy the luxury of knowing how to read and write, and the question is, how can we help the ones who yearn for it? We should all try to bring happiness to people by spreading change. Let’s make this quote come alive with what we can do. Let’s help each other to read the past and write the future, and let’s start with writing our own future by spreading the treasure of literacy. We should grow into a nation of humanity. As our literacy rate rises, so does our value for life and people.
From Ms Rihana Basheer
UAE
Necessary in life
Literacy Day is something very important to each one of us in this part of the world. Literacy, word it-self, means something very much needed in everyone’s life and without literacy a person is not com-plete. If he or she cannot read or write something, it will have serious negative implications on their life. They could be easily cheated or pranked by any matter that they sign without reading or under-standing the things what they have signed or acknowledged. According to my belief, a person is fully complete only if he is able to read and write. We have to provide free education to the low income families, who cannot afford to send their children to a normal school in all parts of the world. Literacy Day should be marked as a very important day of each person’s life.
From Mr Prasad Warrier
Sharjah
Creating a knowledge-based world
The Unesco is celebrating the 50th anniversary of International Literacy Day with the theme: “Reading the past, writing the future”. Illiteracy among adults has come down substantially over the years. But still, there are 758 million adults who cannot read or write a simple sentence, according to the Director General of Unesco. Two third of them are women. Illiterate people will face unemployment, poverty, exploitation, abuse and isolation in their life. When it comes to the case of women, these problems have multiple effects. We have to make introspection as to what our governments are doing to miti-gate this discrimination other than commemoration. Find out the target people in society, educate them and assess their progress. Investing the money and waiting for the results will not change the situation. One in five is illiterate. If four of them extend a helping hand to the vulnerable person, the situation could have been changed. That is also not happening.
The scope of literacy is not limited to just reading or writing. Digital literacy will enlarge the scope of knowledge. Social media could act as a tool for digital literacy revolution. The influence of the media has inspired many illiterate people to learn how to use computers and mobile devices. Literacy can transform an issue-based world into a knowledge-based one.
From Mr Girish R. Edathitta
Dubai
Spread education
In my home town, when degrees are conferred upon individuals, they are asked to take an oath that they will help at least one or two people to learn how to read and write, which is the most basic form of education. I believe a lot of nations need to make similar efforts. Education can lead to eradication of mass issues across the world. Let’s make a deal with ourselves today to spread as much literacy and as much education as possible.
From Mr Muntazir Haider
Dubai
A tool for good
I go by the words of India’s former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam who rightly emphasised the importance of learning to make the world a better place. Learning and critical thinking do not only impart literacy, but help you identify who you are!
Literacy eradicates poverty and ignorance. It is a powerful weapon that is used to change the world. Knowledge, skills and judgment are acquired by learning and instruction. When all these exist, literacy prevails. Literacy is not just restricted to being educated through textbooks and reading. It is self-introspection and involvement in one’s community and neighbourhood.
The world today is infested with crime, violence and discrimination. The list is endless and education is the tool. Society has proven time and time again that it will reward those individuals who are competent and impede those who are not, whether this is expressed in terms of employment opportunities or just on a social level.
One needs to look no further than one’s everyday activities to realise how important literacy is. As Abdul Kalam said, the youth need to be enabled to become job generators, not seekers!
From Ms Anjum Hassan
Sharjah
Tackling major issues
Every human being needs to be able to read and write to get through important everyday tasks, from something as small as reading the names of medicine bottles, to making shopping lists and even for the current use of mobile phones, where WhatsApp, Facebook and other apps are becoming a necessity. What if the parents of today’s children are not literate? Will the children be able to cope with their studies and the modern techniques being used in schools and colleges?
Literacy opens the door of opportunities and is essential for human development. Literacy is not limited just to education or reading books and writing exams. It helps in bringing about an awareness of human rights and creates a strong foundation for the overall development of society. It helps in poverty alleviation, improving gender ratios, tackling corruption and curing terrorism.
With the help of modern technology, real-life writing and sharing of experiences helps in discovering and promoting cultures and languages in almost all geographical areas. Literacy has become an important tool for personal empowerment as well as to achieve and ensure sustainable development. In society, a literate parent is a boon for the next generation to be able to access better opportunities and form a literate society, which will be all geared up to meet the needs and literacy skills required for development.
From Ms Anju Chhatwani
Dubai
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