ILLITERACY RATE IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES FRIGHTENING

Accra Professor Joachim Knoll, lecturer at the University of Ruhr in Germany, observed yesterday that despite efforts by UNESCO, the World Bank and other national agencies, the degree of literacy in the developing world remains frightening. Prof. Knoll made the observation when he delivered a lecture organized jointly by the Goethe Institute and the Institute of Adult Education at the Accra Workers College to highlight the problems of illiteracy in the country. Speaking on "From Literacy to Functional Literacy", Prof Knoll said in this context, the problems of industrialized countries appear somewhat marginal despite all the energy put into comprehensive projects. He listed the restriction to the entrance to primary education, high rate of drop outs, inadequate provision for post literacy work and the discrimination against women under traditional or religious umbrella as some of the deficiencies militating against functional literacy.