What does Literacy mean to me?
By Boban Varghese Paul
If literacy of the written word doesn't translate to compassion and love
for fellow beings, there is no point. Literacy should be a tool to
understanding the greater perspectives in life. It should enable one to
break through social barriers and identities that create cracks in
society. A person always seeks to be identified as being part of a
larger group. For example, a Keralite always says he is one and so does a
Bengali but if these identities create insurmountable barriers in
society, they shouldn't exist. Unfortunately, these societal identities
are inevitable. Yet, the written word must help one move beyond such
latent and virtual distinctions. Yes, such identities can be surmounted
without being literate, but the likelihood of this increases with
literacy especially when one deals with a large number of people.
Somebody once said, "Books have to be heavy because the whole world's
inside them." How true for one can sit in any corner of the world and
read about Gandhi's experiments with truth. One is exposed to a plethora
of people and emotions through books. This teaches one how to deal with
different people and situations and emotions. This creates a human
being with character and wisdom, sensitive to one's surroundings. If
books are the different movies running in a multiplex, literacy is the
eyes that enable you to see and understand.
I understand and agree with the idea that we need to learn what we can from successful charter schools. But there seems to be an implication – if only by omission..what's ever congrats.
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