It’s often the cause that knowledge empowers development in diverse fields on personal and macro levels. Most developed nations have populations with a reasonably high level of knowledge or literacy. Sadly, the same cannot get said of some developing countries, for instance. Find the ways of improving Your Literacy level and your life.
South Africa, an African state, according to the StatsSA 2016 report, details it as a country with 2.5 million illiterate citizens, which translates to 7%. It is a population sample that cannot write or read. However, reality entails the fact that literacy levels in South Africa get grossly understated with statistics, and honestly, most people have no form of literacy skills. While other countries have services which have essays for sale, some of these people can’t even write their name. So what causes the discrepancy between the literacy percentages and the reality?
- The GHS survey considers individuals above the age of fifteen with a minimum of grade seven or higher in education as a literacy qualifying factor. Further, the survey mainly relies on individual honesty in terms of reporting, which can prove an unreliable metric.
- Literacy cannot get measured by the capacity to write your name, read, and decipher symbols. On the contrary, it should entail comprehension, interpretation, and finding meaning in language and words. Because of this, the survey grossly falls short.
- Life’s stages require different levels of reading, and as tasks become more complex, the literacy skill needed also increases. It is a fact that such surveys hardly consider when designing and collecting their data.
Therefore, the ability to read and subsequent inability to contextualize meanings imply a lack of literacy, which then puts the fraction (illiterate) as the majority and not the minority. However, individuals lucky enough to have literacy skills only form a small proportion, and this means that the rest have a lower chance of succeeding in life.
As such, you should consider the following to boost your literacy level and have a better chance of succeeding in life.
Five Ways to Boost Your Literacy Level and Life
- Reducing Poverty Levels. Individuals with higher levels of literacy get more prospects of pursuing higher education. Consequently, such individuals develop their knowledge and skills in seeking better employment opportunities and a chance to earn better salaries.
- Uplifting the Community. Communities with a high literacy level places greater significance on self-improvement and education. As such, it can create an environment that values self-worth and individuals who view success as a goal and not an idea.
- Better Health. Literacy assist individuals to comprehend and better understand health concerns and healthcare respectively. For instance, literate people will understand the HIV associated risks, lower the threat associated with infant mortality as a result of lack or misinformation.
- Empowering Women. Most traditional societies still marginalize women. But with improved literacy skills, women can educate themselves and come out of the destructive shackles of such social dynamics.
- Economic Growth. Well, you cannot separate a population’s spending power from the economy. As such, by reducing poverty, reinforcing, and improving the workforce skills, the economy can then grow, which leads to a cycle of improvement.
Conclusion
Literacy levels form an essential part of the quality of life an individual leads. As such, individuals should consider the following in improving their literacy levels and subsequently allow it to add up to changing the national outlook of South Africa.