Literacy is the first remedy

Yesterday, the United Nations commemorated International Literacy Day with the theme “Literacy is the Best Remedy”, which focuses on the importance of literacy in the promotion of global health. The growing incidence of diseases in the world today is being traced to the most fundamental problem of poverty and lack of literacy. Poverty is a hindrance to literacy and education without which people become vulnerable to the increasing hardships from the environment, diseases such as AIDS, malaria and other communicable diseases. In other words, the lack of literacy, a big problem in itself, can lead to even greater problems of society. How can an illiterate person who cannot read or write, or who cannot understand written information, be expected to avoid infection from contagious disease? Hence, the importance of literacy is being underscored as a key factor in preventing poverty, diseases, and other ills of society. Conversely, literacy is the key to sustaining the quality of life of the human race.

In our country, utmost importance is being given on functional literacy. The latest statistics based on the Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS) by the National Statistical Council in partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Literacy Coordinating Council (LCC) show that our functional literacy rate is high at 84.1 percent of the population, in the age bracket of 10-64 years old, with females registering the higher rates than males. Of the estimated 80 million Filipinos, 84.1 percent, or 67 million Filipinos are considered functionally literate, while 15.9 percent or 12.72 million are considered illiterate. This is alarming considering the fact that the same percentage of illiteracy in 1994 translates to only 9 million illiterate Filipinos, which means that illiteracy remains to be a persistent problem that needs to be tackled more seriously by our administration.

On a positive note, the nation has 84 percent of its population who are functionally literate, and based on the FLEMMS definition, this means these are the Filipinos who can, not only read and write, but also possess number skills. Their being functionally literate means they have the ability to follow a written set of instructions for basic tasks. They also possess the competence needed to participate meaningfully in the workforce. Therefore, they are armed with the tools necessary to survive in the currently difficult times. Proof of this is the growing number of small-scale enterprises in the countryside, from sari-sari stores, mini computer shops, cellphone repair shops, automotive and electrical repair shops and the like operated by many non-graduates, the unemployed adults and even the out-of-school youth. This despite the following findings — that the Filipinos are a nation of non-readers, 65 percent of the youth today are out of school and only 44 out of every 100 Filipino children graduate from high school.

We have witnessed many highly educated and professional men and women of today who cause unrest and anarchy, who cause harm to the environment, who use their authority and power to promote their selfish agenda for material gain. They show that literacy and education are not enough to have a peaceful and just society.

Literacy is indeed the first remedy for a people to rise from poverty, disease and to survive life’s hardships. To me, the more meaningful form of literacy is that imbued with values, a sense of discipline and strong faith in God. With these, and a responsible and compassionate government, we can hope and pray that even the poorest Filipino can survive.