In our ever-evolving world, illiteracy is a blight that persists in numerous countries. It seems to stem from insufficient education following the existence of global crises, leading to a myriad of negative effects on both individuals and society.
To begin with, it can be said that several issues fuel the rate of illiteracy, namely poverty, war and terrorism. For example, penury is rampant in many African countries, and along with that comes famine; consequently, education is not as highly regarded as a priority, hence breeding illiteracy. Furthermore, war and terrorism, as pressing matters at present, also deprive children of the opportunity to attend school, again aggravating the aforementioned problem. In fact, some countries have faced a surge of terrorist attacks at schools in recent years, which has raised doubts surrounding the security of public schools and, more importantly, the cost of education when compared to such risks.
Inevitably, illiteracy proves to be deleterious to the people concerned and to society as a whole. For those plagued by it, they most likely suffer from a lack of knowledge and, thus, find it difficult to pursue more desirable careers. Besides the dissatisfaction of unfulfilled dreams, this would also lead to further financial problems within their families and, therefore, perpetuate the poverty cycle. In addition, this problem might considerably decrease the average intellectual standard of the population if it retains this rate, which would hamper future growth. Moreover, as the plague of illiteracy primarily inhabits the lesser-developed countries, it also widens the gap between countries’ academic proficiency, sparking disparity and, to an extent, inequality.
In conclusion, illiteracy remains a modern-day crisis that desperately needs to be addressed. Caused mostly by poverty and exacerbated by the destructive nature of wars and terrorism, its repercussions are harmful to the development of those affected and, in the bigger picture, the world that they contribute to.