Illiteracy in Pakistan, Facts and Figures

1. Illiteracy and Pakistan
SOC-714: Social Problems of Pakistan
Prepared By: Aftab Ahmed

2. Contents to be covered…
 What is illiteracy?
 Some Facts about illiteracy
 Kinds of Illiteracy
 Types of Illiteracy
 Historical Perspective
 World Literacy Map-2015
 Literacy in Pakistan
 Budget share…FY-2019-20
 Problems in education
 Causes of illiteracy
 Effects of illiteracy
 Suggested Solutions
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4. What is illiteracy?…
 The definition of illiteracy is lack of knowledge in a
particular subject or is the inability to write and
read.
 When a person is not able to read even simple
books and is not able to write anything more than
his own name, this is an example of illiteracy.
 An error, as in writing or speech, made by or
thought to be characteristic of one who is illiterate.
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5. What is illiteracy?… Conti.
 Illiteracy can refer not only to the inability to read
but also to a lack of knowledge in other subject
areas.
 The state of not knowing how to read or write.
 The state of not having knowledge about a
particular subject.
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6. Some Facts about illiteracy…
 According to Anne-Marie Trammell, "Worldwide, 880
million adults have been labeled as illiterate.
 In the United States it is estimated that almost 90 million
adults are functionally illiterate, that is to say that they
do not have the minimal skills needed to function in
society" (Encyclopedia of Distance Learning, 2009).
 In England, says a report from the National Literacy
Trust, "Around 16 percent, or 5.2 million adults, can be
described as 'functionally illiterate.' They would not pass
an English GCSE and have literacy levels at or below
those expected of an 11-year-old" ("Literacy: State of
the Nation," 2014).
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7. Kinds of Illiteracy…
1. Functional illiteracy,
◦ Incompetence in such basic functions as reading, writing,
and mathematics
2. Cultural illiteracy
◦ According to E.D. Hirsch, Jr. “To be culturally literate is
to possess the basic information needed to thrive in the
modern world.”
3. Moral illiteracy
◦ The bias against religious and moral values has left us
with a generation of moral illiterates. ( John Silber,
president of Boston University)
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8. Types of Illiteracy…
 Many of these can be just as debilitating as an
inability to read, but go unnoticed because the
wider community is unaware of their existence.
There are 20 Types of Illiteracy reported by KATE MULCAHY in an
article in 2014
1. Visual Illiteracy
2. Trans-Illiteracy
3. Technological Illiteracy
4. Statistical Illiteracy
5. Scientific Illiteracy
6. Reading and Writing Illiteracy
7. Racial Illiteracy
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9. Types of Illiteracy…Conti.
8. Numerical
Illiteracy
9. Mental Health
Illiteracy
10. Media Illiteracy
11. Information
Illiteracy
12. Health Illiteracy
13. Functional
Illiteracy
14. Financial Illiteracy
15. Emotional
Illiteracy
16. Ecological
Illiteracy
17. Cultural Illiteracy
18. Critical Illiteracy
19. Computer
Illiteracy
20. Agricultural
Illiteracy3/27/2020

10. Visual Illiteracy…
 Visual illiteracy is the
inability to understand or
process information in
visual form.
 These people struggle to
read graphs and info
graphics.
 Specific types of brain
damage can cause an
innate inability to
understand and recognize
faces or vision entirely.
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11. Trans-Illiteracy…
 A trans-illiterate
person is unable to
transfer information
from one form of
media to another.
For example, they may
be able to understand a
picture, but have
trouble describing it or
writing about it.
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12. Technological Illiteracy…
 A person who is
technologically illiterate
has trouble learning to
use new technologies as
they become available.
 Not understanding a
technology because of a
lack of contact with it is
normal, but not
understanding it when
exposed to it and when
taught several times is
illiteracy.
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13. Statistical Illiteracy…
 People who are
statistically illiterate fail to
grasp that statistics can
be presented in ways to
mislead.
 These people feel that if
numbers or data support
a particular idea, then it
must have merit.
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14. Scientific Illiteracy…
 Science is a carefully built
framework of all known truths
to humanity.
 Science is self-correcting and
reflects the height of all
knowledge at any point in time.
Sadly, 75% of adults are
scientifically illiterate.
 These people make
statements like “people who
drive expensive cars live
longer, so if I buy a nice car I’ll
live longer too,” even though
the car does not cause a long
life span but rather both are
probably caused by a higher
socioeconomic status.
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15. Reading and Writing Illiteracy…
 This is what most people
think of when they hear
the word “illiteracy.”
 This is the basic inability
to understand or
produce written
information.
 There are several
degrees of illiteracy,
such as understanding
individual letters but not
whole words,
understanding some
words but not enough to
understand a sentence,
and not recognizing
letters or words at all. 3/27/2020

16. Racial Illiteracy…
 Racial illiteracy is the
inability to
understand issues
connected with race
and racism.
 A student claiming
that a teacher failed
him purposely
“because he’s black”
may be suffering
from racial illiteracy. 3/27/2020

17. Historical Perspective…
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 From a historical perspective, literacy levels for the
world population have risen drastically in the last
couple of centuries.
 While only 12% of the people in the world could
read and write in 1820, today the share has
reversed: only 14% of the world population, in 2016,
remained illiterate.
 Over the last 65 years the global literacy rate
increased by 4% every 5 years – from 42% in 1960
to 86% in 2015
According to the OECD report “How Was Life? Global Well-being since 1820” Literacy rate in 1900: 21% Literacy rate in 1960: 42%
According to the World Bank: Literacy rate in 2015: 86%

18. World Literacy Map-2015…
 Of the world population older than 15 years 86%
are literate.
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19. According to UNCEF
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22. Literacy in Pakistan…
 Definition: age 15 and over, can read and write
 Total literate population: 57.9%
 Male: 69.5%
 Female: 45.8% (2015 est.)
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23. Budget share…FY-2019-20
 In the federal budget, allocations for education have been
reduced by 20.5%.
 The PTI-led coalition government in the centre has
earmarked Rs. 77.262 billion for education affairs and
services, against the revised allocation of Rs. 97.155b for the
current fiscal year, showing a decrease of around 20.5%.
 Also, despite its claims of furthering the cause of higher
education in the country, the government made a sweeping
cut of 40% in the funding for the Higher Education
Commission (HEC) in the current fiscal year.
 Pakistan’s expenditure on education as percentage to GDP
was estimated at 2.4% in fiscal year 2018-19, which was the
lowest in the region. And for fiscal year 2019-20, allocations
for the sector have further been lowered.
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24. PROBLEMS IN EDUCATION…
 Education System is based on Unequal Lines
◦ The educational system of Pakistan is based on unequal
lines. Medium of education is different in both, public and
private sector. This creates a sort of disparity among
people, dividing them into two segments.
 Regional Disparity
◦ Regional disparity is also a major cause. The schools in
Baluchistan (The Largest Province Of Pakistan By Area)
are not that much groomed as that of Punjab (The Largest
Province Of Pakistan By Population). In FATA, the literacy
rate is deplorable constituting 29.5% in males and 3% in
females.
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25. Conti.
 Ratio of Gender Discrimination
◦ The ratio of gender discrimination is a cause which is
projecting the primary school ratio of boys & girls which is
10:4 respectively. For the last few years there has been an
increase in the growth of private schools. That not only
harms the quality of education but creates a gap among
haves and has not.
 Lack of Technical Education
◦ The lack of technical education is a biggest flaw in the
educational policy that has never been focused before.
Therefore, less technical people mean less
 Funds
◦ The allocation of funds for education is very low. It is only
1.5 to 2.0 percent of the total GDP. It should be around 7%
of the total GDP
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26. Conti..
 Untrained Teachers
◦ The teachers in government schools are not well trained.
People who do not get job in any other sector, they try their
luck in educational system. They are not professionally
trained teachers so they are unable to train a nation.
 Poverty
◦ Poverty is also another factor that restricts the parents to
send their children to public or private schools. So, they
prefer to send their children to madrassas where education
is totally free.
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27. CAUSES OF ILLITERACY…
 Poverty
 Learning disabilities
 Lacks of schools in rural areas
 Poor education system
 Corruption
 Unemployment
 Low budged of education
 Regional disparity
 Ratio of general discrimination
 Wadera system
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28. EFFECTS OF ILLITERACY…
 Illiteracy rates increase drug and alcohol abuse in
society.
 Illiteracy decreases the rate of technological
advancement in society.
 Illiterate people may not vote.
 increased illiteracy rates have the ability to diminish
society.
 Illiteracy links to poor health.
 Illiteracy contributes to high unemployment rates in
a society.
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29. Conti...
 Illiteracy leads to generational learning problems.
 Illiteracy rates increase poverty in society.
 Illiteracy increases incarceration rates in society.
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30. Suggested SOLUTION…
 Increase number of primary schools in rural areas.
 Betterment in schools’ infrastructure.
 Free and compulsory education
 Encouragement of private sector
 Special emphasis on female education
 Encouragement of intelligent students and diligent
teachers
 Effective promotion of distance education
 Social campaign against illiteracy
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31. Conti…
 Budget for education should be increased
 Schools should be provided in every village of
Pakistan
 Available schools should be utilized for education
only
 Education should be free for all up to University.
 Education should be compulsory for all up to 12th
Standard.
 Salaries of teachers should be increased so that
people can join this profession easily.
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32. Your Turn…
 Everyone is required to
prepare a summary of the
document…and submitted
before next class by via
email:
huda.aftab@gmail.com
{mention your name, course title
and class}
WHY
PAKISTAN
NEEDS A
LITERACY
MOVEMENT?
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