People in developed nations rarely think about the realities of life in the underdeveloped world. Everyone is aware of the existence of such problems as malnutrition, limited access to drinking water and medication, in addition to a big number of highly contagious diseases. However, there is another serious trouble, which is high rates of illiteracy. The given problem predetermines the issues mentioned above as education can make people’s lives much safer. Nowadays, illiteracy is a widespread problem, which is difficult to overcome due to people’s poverty. Nevertheless, various organizations make such efforts.
A person’s prospective life quality and the nation’s social, economic, and political development rely on literacy rates of the nation. As a result, a number of developing countries are concerned about its low rates among their citizens.
First, it is crucial to outline the definition of illiteracy. It can be described as an ignorance; the inability to understand the environment; as well as the absence of knowledge that could help a person undertake some activities and jobs in everyday life. It means that illiteracy prevents a person from improving his or her well-being and economic status.
As for the definition of literacy, the Census offers his own vision of the given issue. It is the ability of an individual to read and write in any language. For instance, in India, scientists counted that to acquire the basic norms of literacy in mathematics, reading and writing a person must study regularly for approximately two hundred hours. It is also significant to understand why literacy is so necessary. Firstly, it is a kind of training, and any training is of great importance to a person. Secondly, it helps a person enrich his or her education. Thirdly, it can lead to the improvement of a person’s economic condition. Finally, considering that the world is constantly changing, it can help a person function in a more effective way.
After acquiring the necessary literacy skills, a person can realize why he or she is in a specific situation. Consequently, a person starts developing the skills that are necessary to raise the person’s economic status. Moreover, an individual also gains new values that include having a small family, being environmentally friendly, and advocating gender equality. The next step in education for such people is called post literacy. The given step allows individuals to become more competent in mathematics and language. Very often, individuals require participating in post literacy programs in case their studies were interrupted.
In most cases, illiteracy is closely connected to poverty. For instance, in India, the numbers of poor and illiterate individuals are similar. The figure varies between 260 to 300 million. Nevertheless, poverty is not only the low level of income and consumption. Its dimensions vary, but all of them gave a negative influence on a person. A poor person suffers from hunger, lacks shelter, and cannot attain hospital in case he or she is ill. In addition, such person has no access to primary education and cannot guarantee such access to his or her children. Therefore, considering the fact that poor individuals’ primary aim is to survive, the educational needs are not of high priority to them. People who live in poverty often fail to realize the importance of literacy. However, basic education is the first step towards a person’s better future.
The United Nations shows the following statistics: one in four young people in developing countries are unable to read a sentence. Moreover, the given statistics is only two years old. Obviously, the situation is even worse than most people could imagine. Researchers relate the existence of this issue to the fact that not all people have the access to education, and even if they do, its quality is very often unsatisfactory. Approximately two hundred and fifty million children lack mathematics and basic reading skills, despite of the fact that more than one hundred million of them have a four-year experience in attending school. Scientists call this problem the global learning crisis. The price of this crisis is estimated at billions of US dollars annually. Based on the research conducted by UNESCO, it is possible to conclude that its results are alarming: 175 million young people lack even basic literacy skills. If this tendency remains the same, then the African boys who live in the families with the highest level of income will have the opportunity to receive complete primary education in 2021; and African girls who live in the families with the lowest level of income will not have this opportunity until 2086. In order to grant a bigger number of children the access to education, the authorities of certain developing countries started hiring teachers who lack training. Such action decreases the quality of education as such teachers are not able to teach children the necessary skills.
The illiteracy rates among adults are disturbing, as well, as the number of uneducated adults was 774 million individuals in 2011, and approximately 743 million in 2015. Besides having a negative effect on people’s lives, it also affects children. Adult literacy is well known to be a strong determinant of children’s health, nutrition, and schooling outcomes. It is estimated that three-quarters of all illiterate adult people live in Congo, China, Nigeria, Egypt, Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Brazil, Bangladesh, and Nigeria. On a worldwide scale, women comprise approximately two-thirds of all adult people who are illiterate. This figure remains the same for more than twenty years. If this tendency does not change, the researchers predict that women who live in underdeveloped countries and whose level of income is extremely low will not become literate until 2072. The high rates among adults are connected with the decision of the authorities in poorer nations to increase the rates in pupils’ access to primary education rather than to seek ways how to educate adult individuals. Scientists urge the governments of developing nations to attract investors to sponsor the programs aimed at increasing adult literacy rates. The improvement of the situation will require much funding, namely twenty-six billion dollars annually. It will also cost developing nations not less than six percent of the gross national product.
UNESCO has a special program that is targeted at providing access to primary education universally and free of charge. This program is called “Education for All.” At first, the program was successful. However, more recent reports indicate that children leave the program before completing it. It turns out that in a developing country, even if a child’s parents do not have to pay tuition, the cost of education is still unsustainable to them. Parents have to find money to pay for uniforms, examinations, and nutrition. Due to the fact that the quality of education is unsatisfactory in most cases, parents also have to spend money on hiring a tutor for their children to succeed in passing tests. As a result, instead of attending schools parents choose different activities for their children. For example, they make them sell something in the markets or work on the farm to help the family earn some money. As a result, both household income and adult education significantly influence schooling choices in Mozambique. Thus, it is natural that uneducated poor parents are reluctant to let their children continue attending school, if they notice that they still do not know anything.
In addition, those pupils who manage to learn something useful despite poor quality of education rarely choose to attend secondary school. In Ghana, only 50 percent of children complete grade 5. Such tendency exists due to few job prospects. A person’s chances to find a better job do not increase as a result of finishing more years at school. In very poor regions, all employment is unreported, so a person cannot expect many benefits. Trading and agriculture remain the main activities for people who live there disregarding the presence of any education. Besides, considering the health hazards in the region, including the high incidence of malaria, diarrhea, and respiratory infections, a person’s refusal to attend school can save his or her life.
School programs are oriented at the Western approach and include social studies, mathematics, language, and science. However, certain subjects that are typical to the Western model are of no relevance to children who live in poverty, for instance, tectonic plate movement and Greek mythology. Their programs are adjusted with regard to the realities of the impoverished children’s lives. Unlike people who live in wealthier nations, it is difficult for uneducated individuals to find a professional job or continue their studies. In order to manage the little resources they have, students require obtaining the financial literacy, but school programs do not provide it. Students are also unaware of how they can obtain wealth or secure a livelihood. Additionally, to ensure higher quality of life and economic stability, students must be healthy physically, but schooling fails to provide its promotion. It would be beneficial if teachers instruct their students in hand washing and other basic habits that could help them remain healthy. In the future, the program might alter. It will probably involve the subjects that will make it possible for students to learn how to enhance their well-being and financial prospects. The program will be focused on entrepreneurial skills, problem solving, financial literacy, project management, and teamwork. The change in the program may give parents a reason to let their children attend school for a longer time due to possible prospects.
Critically important financial, health, and administrative skills, which can be delivered via existing school systems and teachers. The new model is called “School for Life.” Compared to other programs, it will focus on what impoverished children truly need, namely the improvement of their well-being. Their communities will benefit from it, as well. This model contains many changes not only in content, but also in pedagogy. Health modules and entrepreneurship will become the primary school subjects for pupils. Pupils will also start solving complex tasks by working in pairs or groups. The health curriculum will be based on the World Health Organization research and it will provide students with information on how to obtain medical care, prevent disease, and care for ill children. The entrepreneurship curriculum will be based on Junior Achievement, Aflatoun, and International Labor Organization research, as well as on the experience of entrepreneurs who live and work in developing countries. Thus, it will be a mixture of expertise and the real-life experience. Most importantly, teachers will explain students the significance of hand washing, malaria nets, boiling water, and wearing shoes in contaminated places.
To conclude, nowadays, illiteracy rates are still high in developing countries, and women tend to be more illiterate compared to men. Education can help impoverished children improve their lives and well-being. The existing programs aimed at eliminating illiteracy in developing nations are not very effective due to people’s desperate poverty and, consequently, more important concerns. Much funding and new effective programs are required to allow people in these regions become more educated and let their children have a better future.

About author
Linda works as an editor at https://essaysservice.com/tips-for-writing-annotated-bibliographies.html. She has always enjoyed working with a variety of literature and being interested in new facts. In addition, she easily finds common ground with many people. She also received her master's degree from American University Washington