The importance of literacy development in terms of life success - Essay Example

Moreover, the notion of literacy is greatly expanded (informational, technical, financial literacy, etc.) and acquires some status of culture’s attribute. Already this issue is not about the availability of key areas of literacy, the question now should be put on the expansion of the general population literacy to the level of culture (information culture, scientific, technical, social, etc.). Thus, we are going to discuss different kinds of literacy and the importance of its development in terms of life success.

First of all, it is necessary to mention that ‘literacy’ from a traditional point of view is a definite degree that is mastered by a person in accordance with grammatical rules of native language. Concerning the characteristics of the population – it is one of the basic indicators of its socio-cultural development. The need for literacy and learn reading, writing and arithmetic related to the occurrence of a pictographic writing system, and has its roots in early society. The transition of society to symbolic and graphical ways to store and transfer socially relevant information is a huge leap in the cultural and social development of mankind.

According to Cope and Kalantzis, “literacy is at the heart of education’s promise” (Cope and Kalantzis, 2000). As a result, literacy has become an essential tool of possession of written culture. The specific content of the concept of literacy has changed historically, expanding with increasing public demands for the development of the individual - from basic skills to read, write, count, etc. to the possession of minimum socially necessary knowledge and skills (functional literacy). In addition Cope and Kalantiz emphasized that “literacy represents a kind of symbolic capital in two senses: as the preeminent form of symbol manipulation that gets things done in modern times and as a symbolic marker of being educated” (Cope and Kalantiz, 2000).

Thinking about the historical background of the literacy development’s problem it is known that issues regarding the term ‘literacy’ definition, its statistical characteristics were considered at international meetings on statistics and census programs since the end of XIX century. UNESCO General Conference (10th session, Paris, 1958) recommended all countries in conducting censuses “to consider literate such persons who can read with comprehension and write a brief statement about their everyday lives” (Brandt, 2001).

The semi-literate person in that context was a person who was able only to read. A term of functional literacy was proposed at the World Congress of Ministers of Education on literacy (Tehran, Sept. 1965), and a text of recommendations of the International Standardization of Educational Statistics, proposed by UNESCO, was revised in 1978. Street said that “Initially, functional literacy was used to refer to the needs of employment and economic development” (Street, 2001). Moreover, “the concept was then broadened to include the print demands of occupational, civic, community and personal functioning” (Street, 2001).

According to a new edition of this document, it is necessary to consider a literate person who can be engaged in all activities in