Literacy doesn't stop at being able to read and write alone; it goes beyond that. Literacy encompasses one's ability to use language effectively during communication and to function in an efficient and effective manner.
When an individual does not possess these abilities, he or she is termed as an illiterate. A literate must be able to comprehend and express ideas clearly, learn how to handle conflicts and resolve to finding solutions, and most importantly, to participate in various aspects of life, especially in the area of inculcating good morals, virtues and principles.
Do we now say that literacy guarantees good behaviour? Of course not! Being literate doesn't make a better person; it's all about personal choice. An individual, based on their educational level, may choose or decide to embrace doing good or not.
There are instances and experiences I have seen that have made me wonder and question an individual's level of education. You know the saying that a fool at 40 is a fool forever? Same with a literate who has improper behaviour and misconduct, just like some illiterates, and you'd ask, "But you went to school?"
Some graduates act just like illiterates, and you'd think that passing through the four walls of the classroom was worth it for them.
The definition of literacy doesn't stop at the ability to read and write alone, but also includes good conduct, behaviour, and even dressing. It's not surprising to see most illiterates behaving properly than the literates in terms of their sensibility posture and embracing all good virtues.
Being literate, though, helps one become knowledgeable in areas that an illiterate becomes ignorant of, it still doesn't guarantee them being better. There are cases like the educated ones oppressing the illiterates, taking advantage of them because they lack knowledge in some areas, and because they are more exposed and enlightened, they use their human power and authority to control them making such people to be at their mercy.
We have people who passed through schools and possess higher levels of educational certificates, but are cruel and mean to others. Sometimes I wonder why a literate with so much knowledge at their fingertips would be inflicting pain and suffering on people. They choose to withhold knowledge from the illiterates because they don't want them to be enlightened. What should we call these sets of people?
So, being literate doesn't make one a better person; it's a personal choice.
How about literacy in the aspect of parenting?
Parenting also has to do with gaining knowledge to help make the journey easier. Thanks to technology, even for parents who have gone to school, can read and write are able to navigate such journey even with lots of challenges involved. They can do better than a parent who is not literate. Having a literacy skill will better help them train their kids than an illiterate would.
If you'd notice, parents who have ample knowledge with them will have a good mentality of exposing and enlightening their kids about what would help them learn things better than a parent who is not literate. Such an illiterate parent would be ignorant and therefore lack the necessary and important information to navigate parenting.
For these types of parents, they go with the flow, and most of their children become a nuisance in society because they aren't properly trained with the useful information needed. In a way, literacy keeps a parent informed of various strategies to guide their kids, but for an illiterate, it's like being deaf and blind to the world.
How about being a better neighbour even as a literate?
No, literacy does not guarantee being a better neighbor. What literacy will do is to help get understanding and how to stay informed with the latest news, good books that expose them to learning from different culture thereby encouraging community engagement among each other.
Literacy will only help a neighbour to interact effectively, even though it doesn't foster empathy or understanding of people's perspectives. Just like I said above, it depends on their choices, character and their intentionality in becoming better.
We sure have educated neighbours who lack empathy or even understand cooperation in their communities. Being literate also doesn't stop such an individual from hurting another, especially when they lack feelings or love for others.
Human nature always wants to get in the way, and every one of us has this selfish desire within us. It's only left for us to learn how to tame it.
Education can only guide one in becoming better and responsible individuals, but we have the choice to choose whether to become better while letting love rule or become bad, thereby questioning our educational level because everyone expects that we learn, unlearn and relearn.
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