While growing up I have heard this particular popular statement from a lot of people in different places and occasion that " illiteracy is a disease" . Back then in my teenage circle I believed it. I was among the people that believed anyone that doesn't go to school is an illiterate and doesn't have any tangible or reasonable things to offer to the society. People tend to measure the level of influence, maturity, power and respect that a person should have must be measured on the level of his or her academic achievements.
But now I disagree with this popular statement "ILLITERACY IS A DISEASE "
I have come across people that have gone to school and achieved academic certificates yet they don't add anything valuable to the society. Most of them only achieve a name or tittle as " master holder, PhD man or woman, some people even called them Prof in the community as a way of recognizing the person they are referring to and that's all about it. They only thing that makes people reference them is because of the certificates they have acquired and nothing else. The same people with lots of certificates and academic titles are the same people fighting over lands properties in the community with farmers or illiterate people, going to court up and down because of divorce cases as a result of failed marriages because they can't stand a spouse that doesn't match their academic levels or level of their academic influence in the society.
They are the same people who fight or backbite colleagues over contracts and jeopardize one another in the place of work just to go ahead their coworker due to envy and hatred to obtain a higher promotion and leaves a competitive lifestyle trying to impress people and their coworkers in the office. But on a serious note, have you seen an illiterate person fighting his neighbor or going to court up and down because of lands properties? I've not seen properly because they don't have enough money to be spending over things that doesn't add profit or matter to them positively. A lot of peaceful marriages these days are that of an uneducated people.
They tend to love each other regardless of one another flaws and wrongs. They don't look down at each other as educated couples do when it comes to the level of certificates or academic achievements. Uneducated people doesn't judge each other like the way educated people cowardly does when it comes to giving and receiving advice from someone that is not in the same level of academic level with them. An uneducated man would married a woman and be proud of her and being going to different places or any occasion with her without been ashamed of what the society will say about her looks, speech.
But an educated couples always tend to figure out what society will say about their partners or spouse on how they look, how to speak and how to cooperate among people with the same level of academic achievements. What then would you say with all my points now, do you still believe illiteracy is a disease? Certainly NO. what is the use of a literate man that doesn't value and respect his wife opinion because she doesn't go to university or college? What then can you say about men and women with academic achievements that keeps fighting over lands properties and kept going to court regularly over land dispute? What's the use of your certificates if you don't bring good change or development to the community? What's the use of having so many certificates and titles without good moral worth emulating for? But I have seen some uneducated people as the world consider them as "illiterate because they were unable to obtain a certificate" have helped and brought development to the community.
Some have given advice that better the lives of the youths in the society. Children of an uneducated couples tend to grow and behave more responsible and respectful because of their discipline and good manners they've learn from their poor parents than children of educated people in the community. Most cases children of educated people grew and become more wide, spoiled and exploit with a bad behavior. And if this is what is happening nowadays then I will boldly say illiteracy is not a disease, is just a stage or phase of life where one doesn't have the opportunity to obtain a higher certificates.
Someone might not have gone to school to obtain a certificates but have learnt morals and discipline by experience at home.
In my humble opinion we should not measure the level of one success or one influence or effectiveness by the numbers of certificates one have acquired but by the amount of contributions and developments one gives or bring to the society.
Certificate is just a piece of paper, value and dignity should be measured on the contributions one's contributes and not just piece of papers one acquired. There is joy in dignity and dignity is found in labour. An illiterate person with tangible contributions and powerful ideas that will bring development and growth to the community is not the person the world should consider as having a " disease" . But a man or woman who have acquired so many certificates and academic titles yet with no single or without bringing any sensible development or an idea that brought change and growth to the society should be considered as a person with a " disease".
For we all know disease is an abnormal growth or condition founds in the human or animal. Or a harmful or discomfort condition that causes one an injury. So if an illiterate person doesn't cause one an injury or doesn't cause another person to have a discomfort situation then is certainly cleared that "illiteracy is not a disease "
I don't agreed with this popular statement that illiteracy is a disease just because people measure the level of one's effectiveness by the numbers of certificates one accumulated or acquired without productivity and notable impact that changes the lives of people
I hope you agree with me on this popular statement as well.
Thank you for your time to read through.