Reading, writing, arithmetic must to be literate

Hyderabad: Signing one’s name was once taken as a yardstick for literacy but the Union Human Resources ministry has included reading, writing and arithmetic as basic education. One should complete elementary education with class appropriate learning levels to be qualified to be called a literate. This is the fundamental right of every child too.

Mr Sandeep Pandey, former member of Central Advisory Board on Education (CABE) said, “Definition of literacy is percentage of population above seven years old who can read and write with understanding. National Literacy Mission defined literacy as acquiring skills of reading, writing and arithmetic so that one could apply it to day-to-day life.” 

He further adds,  “Functional literacy would require knowledge of reading, writing and arithmetic, understanding causes of deprivation and backwardness and use skills acquired to uplift oneself and family from such a situation and understanding of social and environmental issues.”

Mr Venkat Reddy, an education activist said, “The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) defines literacy as the “ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate and compute, using printed and written materials associated with varying contexts’’.

He adds, “A person who completes elementary education with class appropriate learning levels is called a literate. To reduce the dropout rate, it is essential to close the gap of literacy. At least the future generations will not face this illiteracy menace. About 50 per cent of those who go to schools are not able to read and write. So the governments need to address the learning levels of students and fix the accountability at all levels.’’