Illiteracy in Britain
LONDON: In a shocking revelation by World Literacy Foundation it was found that one in every five adults in Britain is functionally illiterate or having insufficient reading and writing skills for ordinary practical needs.
About eight million people are so poor at reading and writing that they even struggle in their day to day life. The Sun reports that they are having difficulty in reading a medicine label or simply using a cheque-book. The chief executive of World Literacy Foundation, Andrew Kay described the findings as “shocking” for Britain.
Britain was ranked third-worst in reading and writing with 21.8 percent behind Italy (47 percent) and Ireland (22.6 percent), he said. “No matter whether you live in the developed or developing world, poor literacy is ruining lives.” The US was fourth-worst with 20 percent in “functionally illiterate” adult category.
According to a separate study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, British pupils have slipped from the world’s seventh best in reading to 25th.
