Under the literacy of a person, one understands skills in literate writing and reading elemental texts. Such skills are the foundation on which the development of human personality is built. Today, there is a very low educational level of the population in many countries, along with the development of advanced technologies in some states. UNESCO provides statistics, according to which almost 800 million adults don’t have reading and writing skills. The International Literacy Day celebrations take place annually to pay attention to this serious problem. On the 8th of September, this holiday is celebrated in various countries.
UNESCO organizes targeted holiday events to remind people of the importance of literacy. Every year a holiday has a certain central theme, in which the sense of education in the life of every person is reflected. For example, in 2003, the message was: “Literacy is freedom.” It opens many opportunities in the modern world.
What Is Literacy and Why Is It Vital to Be Literate Today?
It’s impossible to succeed in modern life without good literacy skills. Everyone would agree that the ability to read and write affects everyday life in many ways. The skill of competent expression of thoughts at all times belongs to the skills that an educated, comprehensively developed, and erudite person who lives in society and is a part of it should possess.
Literacy is an indicator of the culture of a person. If a person isn’t able to correctly connect words and express a thought orally or in writing, it’s impossible to call him/her literate. Even in the not-so-distant past, literacy indicated the exclusivity of a person. Education was available only to representatives of the intelligentsia, but today everyone can be literate.
A literate person can not only read but can use written information for effective functioning in modern society.
Reading and Writing Are Fundamental Skills for Every Modern Person
Reading is a type of speech activity, thanks to which a person can visually perceive and understand information. Let’s take a look at the main benefits of reading:
- Since the perception of information occurs through the visual channel, one can recall the saying: “It’s better to see once than hear a hundred times.”
- Words make up sentences (exactly on paper), thanks to which the text or its individual fragments can be repeatedly viewed if necessary;
- After reading the text, it will be easy for you to imagine the situation and the meaning of its creation.
With the help of grammatical, lexical, and phonetic informative signs, understanding the text occurs instantly, so mastering them is a rather important stage. Research by scientists confirms that while reading, they found their eyes “jumping” through the text, fixing their attention on objects that carry certain information. This may not necessarily be the so-called “fluent” reading – just a person highlights the points that are important for him/her.
Reading can rightfully be called an instrument, using which a person learns the world around him/her. This explains the importance of reading to people. Through various literature, we receive exactly the information that we need, or we discover something new for ourselves, but for this, we need to be able to read.
Research has proven that people who read are more educated, and one cannot but agree with this. The distinctive features of the reader include the following:
- A higher level of intelligence development (of course, it is important to take into account the reading literature here: romance novels and detective stories are emotional relaxation for the mind, not carrying information content; but various research articles allow you to learn new);
- The ability to highlight the main problem in the texts and think within its framework, capturing the connections between phenomena;
- The ability to adequately assess the situation and find the right ways to solve it;
- Possession of a large amount of memory and a developed imagination;
- Possession of literate speech. Thanks to this, more precise formulations are used, it is easier to establish contacts with others. Mastering reading skills contributes to the independence of a person, both in judgments and in behavior.
Reading contributes to the development of spiritual maturity, the level of culture, and enlightenment.
Reading and writing skills can’t exist without each other. The more you read, the better your writing is. Both skills help to absorb information. It’s impossible to imagine a modern person who can neither read nor write. These skills are a must for a person in any profession. Moreover, the competition in the job market is fierce. It isn’t enough just to be able to read and write. A potential employer always chooses a person who can communicate thoughts and ideas the best way.
There are many ways on how one can improve reading and writing skills. For this, you need to practice daily and choose only credible information sources. Read high-quality pieces of literature and make writing your daily habit. Remember that both reading and writing are beneficial for education, career, and everyday life. Improve them, and many new opportunities will open in front of you.
