J. D. N. Versluys

W h y do you w a n t to read?

Will any of the 800 million illiterate adults be aware of the fact that the year I972 has been proclaimed International Book Year? The ques- tion, asked this way, seems hardly fair, but it may be useful to start with the unpleasant fact that, although the percentage of illiterate adults is decreasing, their numbers are still growing: It is thus urgent to define as precisely as pos- sible which groups of adults should have pri- ority in the struggle against illiteracy.

The humanitarian ideal of universal literacy is being gradually abandoned. As the population increases, drop-out at the primary level, lack of retention of what has been learnt at the adult lit- eracy courses become more widely known, thus dampening optimistic hopes for the 'eradication of illiteracy within twenty years' which had seemed quite possible, if proper action were taken both by governments concerned and by those who could provide material assistance. Population increases, high drop-out at primary level, and low retention of literacy training are forcing educators and politicians to re-examine the problem.

The solution would seem to be to apply a rigorous selection in order to provide literacy to those adults who really need it and who can and

y. D. N. Versluys (Netherlands), was formerly director of the fnternational lnstimte for Adult Literacy Methods (Teheran) ; deputy director of the Unesco Social Sci- ences Research Centre for Southern Asia (Calcutta).

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will use their newly acquired knowledge. 'Lit- eracy' in the new sense, should go beyond the s t r ic t land limited---ability of reading, writing and arithmetic and it should impart a 'new way of life' leading to social and economic develop- ment. This new type of literacy should integrate several elements besides the three R's, such as technical abilities needed by illiterates for their jobs, whether they are industrial, agricultural or are concerned with health, nutrition and hygiene. Such programmes should obviously differ ac- cording to the job, and should, therefore, be selective and intensive, combining people in one group who have similar interests, and are willing to make a strenuous effort to master these new techniques, abilities and this new knowledge so that their literacy fulfils a real function in their life. This concept of 'functional literacy' requires a certain level allowing the new literate to go ahead on his own. As long as reading remains a difficult exercise, one cannot expect that the newly acquired knowledge will be used very much, nor that it will be retained for a very long time, even if reading material is locally available.

It is clear that the level required will, to a large extent, depend on the level of sophisti- cation of production of the culture concerned.

z. The following estimates arc given by Unesco (excluding Chinaj the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and the Democratic Republic of Vict-Nam): x95o~ 7oo million or 44.3 per cent; z96o, 735 million or 39.3 per cent~ and 197o, 783 million or 34.2 per cent.

Why do you want to read?

However, it is likely that the reading level acquired after four years of primary school is about the minimum to assure sufficient experi- ence and retention of what has been learnt. This is probably the reason why in many cases the final results of adult literacy courses are disappointing.

The need for a relatively high levelofachieve- ment in order to insure a measure of retention makes 'functional literacy teaching' a compli- cated and, therefore, relatively expensive type of education, which calls for selection of those most likely to benefit.

The illiterate adult lives in a certain seclusion which separates him from those who are aware of the 'outside world'. In certain isolated areas where small groups of people live largely on subsistence agriculture, this isolation may not be felt by most people and literacy would probably not change their way of life very much.

In the majority of cases, however, there already exists a more or less close contact with the 'outsiders': merchants come to rural areas and buy the products available, the transistor radio has penetrated deeply into the countryside, while in urban areas life without literacy has become nearly impossible. Those who are illiter- ate often pretend they are not, as it is felt to be a social stigma to be unable to read. In this context it is of interest to note that in a recent survey covering more than too adult literacy projects all over the world 'social prestige' was given in 30 per cent of the cases as the answer why people wanted to join literacy classes. Less than a quarter of the answers indicated econ- omic reasons while 4 per cent of the respondants said that they were interested in reading the scriptures.

However, several studies indicate that the mo- tivation for literacy as such is not extremely strong among illiterates, particularly if con- sidered as a means to economic improvement. This is probably because the possibilities of fnnctionaI literacy are not sufficiently clear to them.

Here we touch upon the crux of the problem: first, is increased knowledge really necessary for economic development, and second, is literacy indispensable to acquire that knowledge? I f so, are the illiterates themselves aware o f this re- quirement and, therefore, willing to make the necessary efforts?

When studying the literature on this subject, one finds that among farmers, the adoption of innovations is closely connected with their level of education, although this is certainly not the only variable. Farm size and contact with per- sons outside the community are also important, and related factors, since farmers who have more land have probably had some education and are more likely to have connexions with town people. Again, breaking the mental isolation would seem to be crucial. Socio-economic and communi- cation variables are generally regarded to be more important than personal characteristics for the adoption of innovations, although some authors question the value of education, since it often refers to matters completely foreign to the actual problems the farmers have to deal with. This point should obviously be stressed: the type of education provided at schools and in aduk literacy classes is often of no genuine interest. However, if the education is practical, based on learning details to increase agricultural yield, the people themselves will feel the need of having all these details stored somewhere, so that they can check later on.

The level of Iiteracywincluding arithmetic, simple farm science and managementwshould be such that it brings about the change which is needed, and does not leave the farmer at a level where he is not really helped by what he has learned.

In order to appreciate the real results of 'func- tional literacy' (or, as it is utilitarian, 'work- oriented' literacy, but which we may also give the wider connotation of 'development edu- cation', since literacy as such only plays a role of secondary interest as a means to the purpose of further education to achieve development), it

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will be necessary to wait and see the results of the projects where this altogether new' type of teaching, demonstration and discussion is under- taken. The real purpose of these integrated pro- grammes, started at the initiative of Unesco, is to change the way of thinking, to substitute tra- ditional production methods by rational ones based on scientific findings, and particularly to make the people aware of the reasons why such methods and techniques are needed. Once a man understands why he is doing his work in a cer- tain way, he will be able to change it when the circumstances require. This is a tremendous change in the total mental process t and it is essential that the persons understand the im- portance of accuracy and precision vital in the modern production process, be it agricultural or industrial. The very exercise of reading already helps to achieve that sense of precision and comprehension. The mass media are precious auxiliaries for the dissemination of knowledge, but they cannot provide the stored information given in a booklet which can be consulted again and again.

Can we prove that in all cases, including fac- tory production, literacy leads to higher pro- ductivity? Certainly not. Literacy as such will not, in most cases, help very much, unless it is accompanied by other factors of development. It would be unduly optimistic to expect that anybody who becomes literate automaticaUy be- comes a better producer. There are certainly some examples which show an immediate im- provement in micro-economic situations, but in general experience shows that literacy will make a difference in productivity only if the type of work is favourable. On the other hand, sophisti- cated production methods require literate and skilled workers.

I f literacy projects are to contribute to higher productivity, they must be selective. Research is needed to determine in what production sectors literacy is likely to make an indispensable contri- bution. It could also provide information about short-term results of work-oriented literacy pro-

grammes, in order to avoid over-optimistic expectations and inconclusive results. Equally important are the long-term effects, in con- junction with other development factors, but this obviously complicates the research tech- niques.

On the other hand, selectivity must be applied to groups or to certain development areas, not to individuals. For instance, in a producers' co- operative it is not enough if the secretary is lit- erate and has sufficient knowledge of accounting to carry on the business, because such a situ- ation distorts the purpose of the co-operative as a social and economic group. On the contrary, all the members of such a co-operative should be literate and able to understand the financial implications of decisions in order for it to func- tion properly.

Evenifa direct proof of increased productivity of literate workers in industry may be difficult to provide, one may expect that positive factors are more generally to be found among them than among illiterates, as a Unesco-sponsored study recently carried out in Bombay pointed out, where such lapses as lack of safety conscious- ness, absenteeism, or waste of raw materials, were found to be more marked among illiterate workers than literate workers.

The supervisors also found that the illiterate fears change, that, although he may be intelli- gent, he cannot express himself well enough to make himself understood, and various similar disadvantages were mentioned. Of course, this is not a proof, since it is quite possible that the more industrious workers were also those who somehow have become literate, but it is unde- niable that in the modern production process of factory work, illiteracy is a real handicap.

Similarly, a number of advantages of literacy to productivity in factory work are mentioned

I. See: A. Fuglcsang, 'Communication with Illiterates', Tidsskriftfor Markedsfringsteori, Vol. 7, No. 3, I97o- A summary in English/French can be found in Literacy DiscussionlDiscussion sur l'Alphab~tisation, Vol. I I, No. 3~

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Why do you want to read?

by Phillips.X However, to achieve real motivation to become literate, the factory worker should be motivated to become literate by a direct advan- tage either in the form of better chances of pro- motion or of higher wage, since his increased productivity would mainly benefit the enter- prise. Literacy classes should be provided in factory time, since only in that case can one be sure that the necessary knowledge, including technical understanding, will be provided to all the workers.

Finally, it is clear that there should be some- thing more for new literates to read than oc- cupational pamphlets: the pleasure of reading should be encouraged, simple newspapers and books with good illustrations should be pro- vided or made available to widen the horizon of the new literate, so that reading becomes a habit and a pleasure, as well as a means to economic development. This may help illiterates them- selves to feel their deficiency deeply enough to be willing to make the effort to learn to read. However, it would be over-optimistic to expect too much: it is precisely their mental isolation

which in the majority of cases is typical for the illiterate and, without any special incentives such as higher income or spectacular changes in the environment caused by the establishment of a factory, irrigation works, settlement projects or other types of migration which provide new opportunities, one cannot hope for the enduring effort a functional literacy programme requires from its participants.

Moreover, only excellent programmes will be able to retain people in courses and overcome the many reasons for drop-out 2 which often make the final results disappointing. The better the programme, the lower the drop-out and the more reasons for reading will be found. Then the stage will be reached of that newly acquired r that interest in what is happening outside the community, which is the basis for a genuine demand for permanent education.

x. H. M. Phillips, Literacy and Development~ Chap. 3~ Paris, Unesc% 197o.

2. According to a survey made by the International Institute for Adult Literacy Methods~ at Teheran~ the median rate of drop-out is around 33 per cent.

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