Literacy in Pakistan for Theory and Practice- MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about theLiteracy in Pakistan for Theory and Practice. Answer: Introduction Literacy is the ability to understand text used in written media such as newspapers and capacity to perform simple arithmetic calculation such as subtraction, addition, and counting. Education is the lifeline of developing countries, and high literacy levels often mean high development in any country. The job market is changing, and it demands skills which can only be attained by learning. To develop their nations, countries around the world are striving to have a literate population so as to catch up with developed nations. Pakistan is a relatively new country having been formed in 1947. Four years after its formation, Pakistan had a literacy level of around 20 percent. While this number was expected to drop as the country became stable, the illiteracy level has risen to new heights, and it is still growing (UNESCO Islamabad, 2012). For a country which was formed on the promise of new opportunities, the literacy level is worrying. Many aspects have been blamed for the low literacy l evels: from poor policy to lack of resource allocation to the education sector to population burst, the message is clear that there is a need for change. Pakistan has a literacy rate of 56 per cent which makes it one of the lowest in the world. Half of the population is illiterate, and the dropout rate is over 30 percent(Das, Pandey, Zajonc, 2006). Literacy levels are worrying in all the sexes and people of all ages. A literate population leads to social, political, cultural and personal development in a country. For Pakistan to realize any meaningful development, it must ensure that emphasizes on educating its population. The country should realize the value of education in development. Literacy is a boost to the development of a country. Firstly, being illiterate does not affect the individual alone, it affects the society as a whole. Institutions which are crucial for the country such as the political institution are affected in a society where most of the population are illiterate. Illiteracy causes dependence and deprives the citizens of the country of attaining any meaningful development. In a country where more than half of the population have never attended school, Pakistans development has been substantially impaired (Iqbal, Haque, Niazi, 2002). This shocking literacy rate has taken a terrible toll on the political, social, and economic sectors in the country. The wealth of a country is the sum of its citizens wealth. Illiterate citizens do not have the necessary skills to fend for themselves. This inability to provide for themselves impairs the developments of a country. Also, high illiteracy in adults means that they cannot afford to educate their children hence it leads to a cycle of illiteracy in a countr y. Further, low literacy levels mean that a country lags behind in development in comparison with its neighbors (UNESCO Islamabad, 2012). However, the worst result of low literacy levels to development is due to its effect on the democracy of a country. Illiterate citizens are not able to make political decisions, and hence they are not well represented. Pakistan often faces political instability due to the high illiteracy among the voters who are not able to make informed decisions. Development is the collective effort of all citizens and improving literacy levels will ensure that the country attains many forms of development. Combination of factors often causes low literacy levels. In Pakistan, their literacy level which is below 60 percent is caused by financial constraints and poor policies. Poor resource allocation often hampers the development of education. Allocation to the education sector in Pakistan is often less than three percent of the gross domestic product (Choudhry, 2005). Furthermore, a lack of policy and an absence of structure result in low literacy levels. The policies which are often set are not implemented. This lack of commitment from the government and the stakeholders have greatly contributed to the low literacy levels. These cause and effect of aspects of poverty, high population, and poor policies lead to a grim future in a country. Leaders should be committed and take an interest in improving the literacy levels (Street, 2003). The leaders should push for agendas which will lead to social change by improving the literacy levels. Additionally, the policy gaps should be reduced. Th e stakeholders involved in improving the literacy levels to should be willing and open to ideas which will transform the education sector. There should be organizational structures which are aimed at improving literacy, and such organizations should be well funded. Not spending on education of its citizens has grave implications on the future of Pakistan (Das et al., 2006). Adults should be educated so that they can be empowered to educate their children hence stopping the cycle of illiteracy. Further, rural areas should be targeted in literacy programs as most of the illiterate are accumulated in rural places. Pakistan should address the factors which cause high illiteracy so that it can achieve developmental goals. Literacy levels in Pakistan are low, and the country should seek to improve so as to achieve development. Pakistan should ensure that children are schooled when they are young. Those who have attained the age of going to school should be given full access to formal education which will increase literacy. Education is a basic human right and Pakistan should be committed to fulfill this international pledge. There should be active approaches and establishment of literacy programs all over the country. The result of having low literacy levels in a country are many, and they jeopardize a countrys effort of achieving development, the sooner a country improves its literacy level, the sooner it achieves development. Adult literacy programs should be started and stakeholders should be committed to tackle challenges to improving the literacy levels. The improvement of literacy levels in citizens through formal education is a constant factor for the betterment of a country. Illiteracy blocks a ny meaningful development in a country and hampers with the progress of a society. Low literacy levels also impede the progress of a countrys institutions. References Choudhry, M. A. (2005). Pakistan?: where and who are the world s illiterates Literacy for Life, 114. Das, J., Pandey, P., Zajonc, T. (2006). Learning levels and gaps in Pakistan. World Bank Policy Research Working Paper, No. 4067, 147. https://doi.org/February 23, 2015 Iqbal, Z., Haque, A. R., Niazi, H. K. (2002). Literacy Trends in Pakistan. Islamabad. Street, B. (2003). Whats new in New Literacy Studies?: Critical approaches to literacy in theory and practice. Current Issues in Comparative Education, 5(2), 7791. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.02.026 UNESCO Islamabad. (2012). Why Paksitan Needs a Literacy Movement? Islamabad.