[Reading-hall-of-fame] International Literacy Day

[Thomas Sticht]

International Literacy Day 2021

September 7, 2021

Helping the Have Nots Have Literacy and Digital Technology Skills

Tom Sticht, International Consultant in Adult Education (Ret.)

On September 8, 2021, the world celebrates International Literacy Day
(ILD2021) under a UNESCO theme stimulated by the COVIC-19 pandemic:
*“**Literacy
for a human-centered recovery: Narrowing the digital divide*”.  And once
again the issue of the gaps between the haves and the have nots has been
revealed as schools have turned to distance learning using digital
technologies which hundreds of millions of children, youth, and adults
around the world are unable to use due to issues of poverty, connectivity,
infrastructure, and lack of access to electricity.

In 1977, I provided U. S. Congressional testimony on the uses of computers
in education and noted “We must be concerned that in the rapid development
of computer technology we do not further increase the gap between the haves
and have nots in our society.” (Sticht, 1977, p. 369).

Two decades later, Wagner (2000) wrote an article discussing the idea of a
“digital divide” saying, “…educational and literacy levels play an
important role in the likelihood that a person will own a computer or be
linked to the Internet. This has led to the popularization of the notion of
the “digital divide” – a gap that separates the “haves” and “have-nots,”
irrespective of country….the best available evidence suggests that
Americans with less education - those who might benefit most from the
Internet's educational value - are falling further behind in digital
access” (p. 14).

 Three decades following my remarks on computers and the haves and have
nots, Raveesh (2013) reviewed world data on the uses of information and
communications technologies (ICT) and reported that, “ Digital resources
are the most crucial wealth for the development of an individual as well as
a country in knowledge society. There must be an equal access to the
knowledge resources in the present globalized knowledge society.
Unfortunately the wealthiest resource of the 21st century i.e. digital
resources are not accessed equally in the world. In one hand we have very
skilled human resource which are making use of digital resources
effectively, on the other hand we have group of people who don’t have skill
and access to the digital technology. In 21st century’s knowledge society,
digital resources are dividing human society into two groups called
‘Digital Haves’ and ‘Digital Have Not’s.”

Over four decades following my remarks about the  haves and have nots,
Reimers (2020), commenting on the negative impacts that he thought the
COVID 19 pandemic would have on the educational opportunities for children,
wrote, “…the gaps between the haves and the have nots will grow
considerably” noting that children of the poor will have severely more
limited opportunities to learn during the pandemic than their non-poor
counterparts, and their lives will be significantly more disrupted by the
pandemic.

A year later, Purdy (2021), writing for Forbes online, commented on the
enduring global problem of the “digital divide” noting that “In the U.S.,
14% of children ages 3 to 18 lack internet access at home, meaning that
more than 9 million schoolchildren face difficulty completing assignments
online. …That creates digital “haves” and “have-nots,” and in modern
society that’s simply not fair. It’s also unnecessary. Bridging this divide
can give everyone the opportunity to lead a fuller life and be prepared for
the future of work.”

 UNESCO declares that this ILD2021 it “…will explore how literacy can
contribute to building a solid foundation for a human-centered recovery,
with a special focus on the interplay of literacy and digital skills
required by non-literate youth and adults. It will also explore what makes
technology-enabled literacy learning inclusive and meaningful to leave no
one behind. By doing so, ILD2021 will be an opportunity to reimagine future
literacy teaching and learning, within and beyond the context of the
pandemic.”

Hopefully, this reimagining of the use of digital technologies for literacy
teaching and learning will provide insights into how millions of the
economically and digitally “have nots” may become “haves.”

References

Purdy, A. (2021, June). Why we need to bridge the digital divide and
prepare for the future of work.  Online at:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/06/18/why-we-need-to-bridge-the-digital-divide-and-prepare-for-the-future-of-work/?sh=7d6d598c6117

Raveesh, S. (2013, October). Digital divide-”haves” and “have nots”: A
modern inequity of 21st century. European Academic Research, Vol. 1,Issue 7.

 Reimers, F. (2020, April). What the Covid-19 pandemic will change in
education depends on the thoughtfulness of education responses. Online at:

https://www.ei-ie.org/en/item/23302:what-the-covid-19-pandemic-will-change-in-education-depends-on-the-thoughtfulness-of-education-responses-today-by-fernando-m-reimers

Sticht, T. (1977, October). Statement before the Hearings of the  House
Science & Technology Subcommittee on Domestic & International Scientific
Planning, Analysis & Cooperation. Washington, DC. In: Computers and the
Learning Society, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC., (pp.
367-371).

Wagner, D. (2000). Literacy, technological literacy, and the digital
divide. Online at: https://repository.upenn.edu/literacyorg_articles/15



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