Full literacy rate a long way off - Whiteman

THERE IS still a far way to go towards making Jamaica a fully literate society despite an adult literacy rate in excess of 70 per cent, says Minister of Education Burchell Whiteman said.

In his message to mark International Literacy Day which is being observed today, the Minister urged Jamaicans to become fully involved in education, citing it as "one of the most important investments that anyone can make". According to him, such an investment (in human resources) will improve not only the quality of life, but also redound to the benefit of the entire nation.

"Let me make a special appeal to you all, especially to our young people who have had the privilege of an education -- make a commitment today to volunteer your services to your country, to your fellowmen and women, and let me invite you to work along with us in our efforts to overcome, once and for all, this monster that stands in the way of our progress," the Minister said.

Mr. Whiteman noted that today was the day on which the international community and UNESCO, pay special attention to the problem of absolute and functional illiteracy, by seeking to mobilise their whole populations towards the challenge of eradicating this menace to human progress.

"Illiteracy has attracted much attention because, throughout the world, the inability to read with understanding and to do simple computation is linked with poverty, famine and poor health. This level of ignorance also leads to violence," he asserted

He argued that those communities with high illiteracy rates are almost always those with the greatest unemployment and are those that are the most susceptible to malnutrition, the spread of diseases, and interpersonal conflict.

Noting that illiteracy and underdevelopment are linked, the Minister pointed out that the direct yearly costs of illiteracy to business is estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars.

The Minister pointed to the World Declaration on Education for all which emphasises that: "Every person -- child, youth and adult -- shall be able to benefit from educational opportunities designed to meet their basic learning needs".

These needs comprise both essential learning tools such as literacy, oral expression, numeracy, and problem-solving, and the basic learning content such as knowledge, skills, values and attitudes, required by human beings to be able to survive, to develop their full capacities, live and work in dignity, to participate fully in development, improve the quality of their lives, to make informed decisions and to continue learning.

He urged the nation to pay special attention to "our men and boys" who continue to fall behind our women and girls in literacy as well as in other areas of education.

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