The high rates of illiteracy come at a huge cost according to a global literacy expert, Mr Andrew Kay, CEO of the World Literacy Foundation

“More than one third of the world’s population struggle to read or are illiterate. For many people this means they can't read the instructions on a medicine bottle, they can't read a map, they can't read a recipe."

Speaking on International Literacy Day Tuesday September 8 2015, Mr Kay says it's a hidden statistic, a serious issue that many people don't realise exists. “A lot of people who struggle with reading are very clever at hiding it”.

- Hidden cost of  illiteracy in 2015  tops $1.2 Tn
- 93 per cent of employers say low levels of language, literacy and numeracy are having an impact on their business
- Access your country’s data  www.worldliteracyfoundation.org
- Illiteracy has long term social impact on a person

"It's a serious issue that we as a society choose to ignore and don’t talk about. For the sake of future generations we must address it, and ask what we can do”.

Tuesday September 8 is International Literacy Day, an event declared by the United Nations to recognise the importance of reading and writing.

"We're encouraging parents to read to their children for 10 minutes every day, so we can begin to turn the cycle of illiteracy around."

A new report from the World Literacy Foundation shows that nearly 800 million people across the world lack the basic reading and writing skills needed to accomplish simple tasks costing the global economy more than $1.2 trillion in 2015.

“The Economic and Social cost of Illiteracy” report, looks at the cost of illiteracy in emerging, developing and developed countries. The report shows that across the globe more than one in five people can’t read or write, and more than 100 million children don’t go to school each day. This means an individual may have only a simple grasp of written English and will for example, struggle to complete a form from the bank.

“We need to view illiteracy as a disease that we are aiming to eradicate. We need to understand that early intervention can avert a lifetime of hardship, poverty and pain for a child, young person or adult who is struggling to read or write,” he said.

Contact: Report author and World Literacy Foundation CEO Andrew Kay

Media Contact:
Andrew Kay
World Literacy Foundation
Melbourne
+61 3 419 201 089
[email protected]
http://worldliteracyfoundation.org/