In the coming weeks Alta will share a series of illustrations as part of the Reading, It’s Life series. These illustrations capture typical conversations by literate people and answer to the myths we are made to believe about non-readers. The first myth is that we are, or even once were, a literate nation.
Part 1
In the mid ’90s, there were two national literacy surveys of those aged 15 and over—the first by Alta, followed by the University of the West Indies.
These showed that about 1 in 4 people could not carry out basic reading and writing tasks, and only 45 per cent could read and understand a simple newspaper article. In the 22 years Alta has been in existence, it still comes as a surprise to some that there are people among us who cannot perform everyday reading and writing tasks like reading simple signs or filling out basic forms.
Being in the information age where everyone has a computer or a smart phone, some may argue that concern for literacy is a thing of the past.
At the very minimum, most jobs require three CXC passes and for every job there is a literacy requirement: filling an application form, entering information on a computerised cash register or for stock-taking, reading labels.
In reality, non-readers have fewer legitimate options to earn a living. Instead, there seems to be a wide range of fairly well-organised illegitimate ones often starting innocuously: “drop dis here for mih,” “look out and see when Babylon comin.” If we were oblivious to the issue 20 years ago, perhaps it is the time to pay attention.
Fr Clyde Harvey wrote in December 2010: “Those of us who have worked with youth at risk have been struck by the high percentage of them who have very poor reading skills. Many of our teenage boys are reading at levels half their age. Many of our gang leaders have reading disabilities which were not recognised at school. It left them at the back of the class and then saw them compensating through their other natural abilities of leadership.”
Alta’s 2010 student registration saw a record number of people register for its literacy classes after a massive publicity campaign on television and radio. If there was any doubt before, we were assured then that people in the shadows were finding the courage to step out.
Without the right kind of encouragement from us, there are others that may never step forward.
We can all begin addressing these myths by encouraging the adults around us to join an Alta class.
Alta registers new students only once a year—on the first Tuesday and Wednesday of September, the start of the new academic year.
Registration is easy. Visit your nearest public library on September 2 or 3 and Alta tutors will let you know the class options in the area and sign you up. Let’s be real about literacy instead of continue believing the myth.
JOIN ALTA
Become a part of Alta. Volunteer, donate, sponsor a student. New student registration begins September 2 and 3, 2014. Call 624-ALTA (2582) or e-mail altatt@yahoo.com or like us on Facebook: ALTA Trinidad.