Literacy is key to competing in a rapidly changing world by Dr. Thaksin Shinawatra on 6 February 2009

Literacy is key to competing in a rapidly changing world
by Dr. Thaksin Shinawatra on 6 February 2009

Literacy is central to education and in gaining access to the new communications technology. Without this, developing countries will be unable to benefit from the new sources of wealth creation.

The ability to read, write and communicate is the foundation of all education, training and learning, and is essential for sustainable human economic and social development in today’s complex and fast-changing societies.

That literacy brings personal, social and economic benefits for individuals and society is well understood. People with higher literacy skills have been shown to have higher incomes, better health, greater social and civic engagement, life long access to learning and less involvement with crime.

Nevertheless, there are approximately 800 million illiterate adults in the world today, according to UNESCO, of which two thirds are women. In addition, more than 100 million school-age children never attend school. There is therefore much that needs to be done.

Literacy is much more than the basic cognitive skills of reading, writing and arithmetic, often referred to as the “three Rs”. It involves the knowledge, skills, behaviour and attitudes that enable individuals to think critically, communicate effectively, deal with change and solve problems in a variety of contexts to achieve their personal goals, develop their knowledge and potential and participate fully in society.

Today there is much talk about the knowledge based society. Knowledge has always been a factor of production, and a driver of economic and social development. In an agricultural economy, land is the key resource. In an industrial economy, it is physical assets such as steel, factories, and railroads that are the dominant factors of production.

In the current era, the key resources have become information and knowledge. What differentiates their use in today’s society is the rise in the intensity of the application of knowledge to economic activity against the backdrop of the increasing globalisation of economic affairs.

This rise in knowledge intensity is being driven by the combined forces of the information technology revolution and the increasing pace of technological change. Globalisation is being driven not only by national and international deregulation, but also by the information technology related communications revolution.

The emergence of the knowledge society is bringing about a fundamental transformation of our economies and societies and reshaping the global economy. The generation and exploitation of knowledge is now the predominant factor in the creation of wealth.

The corollary of this is that those who do not understand information and communications technology (ICT) are threatened with disenfranchisement not only from taking part in a predominantly knowledge-based economy, but they will also be unable to enjoy the benefits that such a new world order brings.

The term "digital divide" refers to the gap between those who can effectively use new information technology and communication tools, such as the Internet, and those who cannot.

Literacy is fundamental to reducing the digital divide. But even if every family, every community had Internet access, the digital divide would not be resolved. Unless all citizens are able to learn and apply a wide set of literacy skills, mere access to technology will mean very little to them.

ICT has become a powerful tool in fighting back the digital divide, providing developing countries with unprecedented opportunities to meet vital development goals, such as poverty reduction, basic health care, and education, far more effectively than was previously possible. Those countries and communities that succeed in bridging the digital divide by harnessing the huge potential of ICT can look forward to enhanced economic activity and growth, and improved human welfare and good governance practices.

But for people to be given the skills to survive and thrive in the global knowledge economy the approach to education needs a fundamental rethinking. Students and teachers alike must be weaned away from the traditional emphasis on rote learning. The new priority must be learning to think more critically and creatively. The goal of education must be to equip our future generations for the constant and rapidly changing environment that is now a permanent feature of the world economy. Giving children the tools to be competitive internationally is essential because that is the direction in which national development strategies embracing all parts of the community, both urban and rural will be heading.

In dealing with the modern challenges facing society I am convinced that education holds the key. It is a necessary starting point in making poverty a distant part of our history.

When I was Thai Prime Minister I fully supported UNESCO's Education For All programme. In today’s globalised world we need to ensure that that quality education becomes another basic right and necessity for all children and is made universal. But we also need to reinforce a mindset among governments and people, which looks at education beyond the classroom –as a life long learning experience to be pursued by people of all ages.

In Thailand my government created Thai Knowledge Parks offering reading space, hands-on–activities and entrepreneurial practices. These Parks were an instant success indicating that non-formal education facilities are always in demand by families and their children.

For children and students we should encourage more cross-cultural exchanges so that they can become attuned at an early age to how small the world has become and how diverse its cultures can be. This will enable them to become more adept at dealing with an increasingly globalised world in the future.

For the work force we need to set in place programmes that will continuously sharpen their skills from apprenticeships to retraining courses. A case in point is the “Fix It Centre” programme which was set up by my government. These programmes make use of the technical skills of students to provide low cost repair services to people in local communities. At the same time villagers are also taught how to fix their own appliances as a form of self-help. They were not just income generating schemes but also involved the transfer of skills.

To promote the use of ICT in life long learning and to provide the skills for dealing with the modern world, my government aimed to provide Thai students in every school with computer access and affordable computers. I also wanted to provide every child with a basic computer which would enable simple and affordable access to the world of knowledge and opportunity through the Internet.

It is my conviction that educated children today make for the empowered citizens of tomorrow. Empowered citizens are better at exercising their citizenship rights as strong active participants in the political and social life of the country.

At the same time, educated and skilful citizens can become a productive and flexible workforce in an emerging knowledge based economy.

The opportunities offered by the information technology age have to be seized deliberately because both the potential benefits and the costs of not doing so are very high. To grasp these opportunities children and adults need the basic thee Rs, computer literacy combined with a new kind of international literacy – a knowledge of the new globalised world – to enable them to participate proactively and meaningfully as socially empowered individuals while being economically competitive.