EXPANDING LITERACY: A KEY FOR DEVELOPMENT
In many countries we observed the importance of the literacy, as a way for maintain a culture, a social development way or just like a compromise with international agreements as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
In this point we can converge with some vision about the elemental right that literacy represents for any human being. I think that Maximalist vision is appropriated for this item.
Any person needs literacy for get access to others human rights, as the political participation or get a job. These opportunities bring benefits to all member of a society, building a culture, a social solidarity and equal citizenships.
That is why I call it, a key for development. Few governments understand how to use it for stimulate the development. The present situation in Latin America (with the exceptions of Cuba and Venezuela), is the consequence of decades of ineffective policies that allowed the uncontrolled growth of illiteracy in their respective countries. As example, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), has published this year, that 300 thousand children in Mexico do not have access to any school.
These children are part of the 72 millions of children without access to education. This problem is related to poverty that limits access to literacy. Moreover, these children suffer from malnutrition and most work in inhuman conditions that represent violation to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The problem of illiteracy in children is one of the great challenges that these governments must to face promptly and effectively before that children become in a so-called “loss generation”. Against this background, the recognition of illiteracy by the governments should be an opportunity to look, at the experience of other nations, innovative policies in this area.
Hence the importance of international agreements in this area and the number of recommendations in various international mechanisms, such as the Universal Periodic Review, that as said the UN Secretary General Ban Ky-moon: “has great potential to promote and protect human rights in the darkest corners of the world.”
Otherwise, access opportunities to literacy are reduced for rural communities, specifically for those who speak indigenous languages. Continuing with UNESCO figures, women who speak an indigenous language, have 15 times more likely to be illiterate than those who speak Spanish .
Indigenous groups deserve special attention, because their languages are not fully recognized. In countries like Mexico, only ballots are issued in Spanish, which constitutes an “official” threat. Political participation of all citizens in any society is a basic right that should be respected and promoted by governments.
Amartya Sen, talks in his book Development as freedom, how important is the expansion of freedom to contribute to the abilities of each person. I agree with this idea and I emphasize his claim that the possibility for any country to provide each of its members access to education, regardless of their level of development.
There is no reason or excuse for not encourage policies that promote literacy and with it, encourage the creation of a national education system more equitable and accessible to any citizen. Today many young Latin Americans migrate to the U.S. in search of opportunities, which are limited by their low level of preparedness, being low-skilled workers without professional growth opportunities.
Thus I stress the following points to consider in Latin American countries for increase the literacy:
• Literacy is a means of development that must be consider as an opportunity;
• Governments must implement effective education policies;
• The literacy must be accompanied by other human rights, such as the right to food, access to well paid jobs and equal opportunities;
• Indigenous groups deserve special attention and the recognition of their languages;
• Illiteracy limits the civil and political rights of any citizen, therefore, must be addressed in line with the recommendations made by Human Rights Committee of the United Nations,
• Several Latin American countries present in this year, their Fifth Report of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which have the opportunity to review their progress and setbacks in this fields, emphasizing the theme of literacy.
Finally, we must not ignore the fact that funds such as UNESCO have increased their presence in Latin America, through literacy program designed specifically for children, who are in situations even more complicated, like orphaned, homeless or those who have suffered sexual or labor exploitation.
Therefore, these societies have great work ahead and the success depends of the recognition of the expansion of literacy as a key for development.
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