How literacy empowers the individual
Ibrahim Ajala
This story is the first of a four-part series of articles that seeks to create greater awareness on the benefits of literacy, in celebration of the 51st anniversary of the International Literacy Day.
Literacy as a fundamental human right, distinct from that of education, was well captured and presented in the 1975 Persepolis Declaration. In this declaration, the major drive of global and local literacy effort involves two basic goals:
- Promotion of literacy, and
- Eradication of illiteracy
However, this declaration and others did not put to finality the debate about the meaning of literacy, which continues to the present day. Without going into much debate surrounding the meaning of the term ‘literacy’, this article (and the subsequent ones in the series) will see literacy as the acquisition of reading and writing skills that empowers individual to actively seeks knowledge for the advancement of their lives and their communities. Considering that the major benefits of literacy is to the individual, the following ways through which literacy contributes to personal lives includes:
- Self-Esteem: Literacy abilities allow individuals to seeks opportunities that meet their talents and capabilities, as well as understand themselves. When people are able to read about how to develop themselves, it significantly improves their self-esteem as shown by various studies such as this one
- Empowerment: Literacy empowers people to take action about their lives. Ability to read has been shown to increase individual participation in self-enriching goals. Literacy encourages individuals to seeks opportunities that helps them live up to their potentials, as well as increase their earning potential.
- Happiness: Literacy provides individuals with a sense of control over their lives. Research has shown that individuals who have difficulty reading and understanding specific information, feel unhappy while those who can read and understand feel significantly greater happiness
