Poverty & Illiteracy

Poverty and illiteracy are closely connected. Poverty and Illiteracy are indeed like the curse on human race. Poverty and Illiteracy is the main cause of child labour. Illiterate People don’t have awareness of family planning. In rural areas schools are without proper furniture and building and sometimes schools are there but there is not teacher. Some religious people do not allow the education of girls except religious education. Financial crises lead to an immediate rise in the suicide rate and crime (Laster & Young 1947). A major cause of illiteracy is the economic condition of the people cannot afford to go to school and most of the children are put to work at a young age. The effects of Poverty and illiteracy are harmful to both individuals and society. Poverty is the deprivation of food, shelter, money and clothing that when occurs people cannot satisfy their basic needs. It is safe to state that children who live at or below the poverty level will have far less success educationally them children who live above the poverty line.

The state of being illiterate, lack of any or enough education. The main cause of illiteracy is poverty. The lack of reading ability in people they do not read medicinal directions or health related prescription labels. Poverty and child labour are closely related. People are poor and have large families, the are forced to send their child to work. People living in slums and villages and cannot send their children to school. The thought that getting job is more important than learning in school. Lack of educational facilities is also a major factor illiterates people believe that more the bread earners they will have. These people cannot afford to educate their children and up working at a small age. Pakistan has a population of 160 million about 40 percent of its population live below or close to the poverty line (Source UNDP 2002). It means that two out of face Pakistanis do not have the resource to earn a decent living, for themselves and denied access to adequate food, clean, water, education health care and unfortunately, even basic human rights (Source UNDP 2002).

The world band estimated 1.29 billion people were living in absolute poverty in 2008, of these, 400 million people in absolute poverty lived in India and 173 million people in China. Pakistan literacy rate is 38.9 percent; Pakistan is lagging behind many others countries. Another cause of illiteracy is why student drop out of school. Poverty badly affects children’s success in school. Parents no reading skills cannot provide the support their children need to do well in school. In rural areas there is no proper furniture or buildings and no teachers there. The strictness of teacher and harsh behavior is the cause of drop out. Low- Income families and higher Income families is a big issue, in children because they tears and laughed at them. Some religious people are against the education of girls and co-education. In 2009, roughly two third of the world’s estimated 793 million illiterate adults were female. The un education, scientific and cultural organization (UNESCO) noted that more than half the adults in 11 countries are illiterate.

These Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Haiti, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Sierra Leone. Poverty is the major cause of crime and suicide rate. People don’t have enough money and the stead things. They want to become quick rich and everything whatever they want, they adopt Wrong means of earning money. Family’s actions and influenced of peers at a young age can be made them future criminal. These actions by the family include poor parental supervision, harsh parental discipline; parental disharmony and rejection of the child are seen as important signs that lead towards criminality in children (Lobber and Stouthanmer- Lobber 1986). It is truly said by a great educationist Sir Syed Ahmad Khan that we cannot progress. It we cannot progress. It we do not educate our children. Education is necessary to build up the future of the nations.

Nations will be strong if the education is made compulsory. If the children are not educated their natural talent and qualities suppressed throughout their lives and they are unable to express themselves. ‘’Education is the light this lamp, we will not be able to get the light of knowledge. Education every child of the world so that one day every child brings paradise on the earth. Govt. Spends less money on education as compared to other developing countries. The message of family planning should be more forcefully conveyed through media and adult literacy centers.