To All,
As a new subscriber, I am awed at the intelligent conversations
and have, so far, been very hesitant to comment on the subject
matter. However, this topic holds a special place for me. I am
by no means an expert but third world economics is a passion. I
have read recent conversations by this group on the subject and
frankly, think the solution is too easy. It's all about
education. This most recent data on education and literacy only
proves my point. Regardless of how the data was obtained, I think
we can all agree that improved literacy rates can most certainly
improve economies. As I read articles or books on the economies
of third world nations, I often wonder why more emphasis is not
placed on literacy rates.
Since third world nations cannot seem to get onto the first rung
on the ladder of success, as some describe it, then climbing the
ladder is out of the question. But, I have a slightly different
twist on recent theories. Instead of concentrating on the
millions of problems plaguing these nations, such as environment,
infrastructure, or government, wouldn't it be better to focus on
the root cause of the problem? Because of the lack of literacy in
these countries, they are unable to accomplish even the first rung
on the the ladder. How can they understand the importance of land
conservancy or how important it is to build a solid infrastructure
without education? Not to mention the fact that they absolutely
miss the technological band wagon! With all of the hype from the
G8 and NGOs concerning this subject, I hear very little about
focusing on improving literacy. To me, literacy is the key.
When the work force can improve themselves, feel better about
themselves, and contribute more efficiently to the economy, then
these countries will reap the benefits. Sounds simplistic since a
majority of these countries lack the basic infrastructure to
provide education in a meaningful and broad way. But, to this
argument, I say that you have to start somewhere. Pouring money
into these countries has not worked. No one can agree to do the
things that would make the world market more accessible or
"fair". If there was more of a concentration on education, I
believe these countries could help themselves. Let's start with
the basics.
Education means a feeling of success. It means that a greater
number of the workforce could meaningfully contribute. It means
making informed decisions as to how the population views or how it
may select it's government. It also means that people's minds
might broaden to include new ideas. Possibly, in my own dreamy
world, it could mean a better understanding and more acceptance
of other's cultures. The benefits for women I could expound upon
forever. Improved literacy rates for women would mean fewer
children. A huge untapped resource would enter the
workforce. Maybe, the sometimes backwards ideas of the role of
women could be improved upon.
Illiteracy is such a big problem in the world. How could it not
impact economies, especially third world economies, when literacy
is the focus?
Stephanie
-----Original Message-----
From: Darryl or Natalia
Sent: Sep 6, 2007 8:21 PM
To: pete
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: [Futurework] TD pegs value of literacy
Pete,
The report did focus on Canadians. You raise excellent points
and questions below. I pretty much question anything a bank
puts out as fact. I don't disagree with the report's
conclusions, for the most part, but how facts are gleaned is
rarely revealed in a newspaper article. Good P.R. TD thinking
outside the box. Ironic findings, given that the bulk of their
loans are secured almost solely by material assets, yet I
suppose that politicians will be able to run with these
figures to create literacy programs, and save the banks
billions on training and blunder costs. If people were better
skilled, however, they wouldn't be applying for the majority
of positions with the bank. TD's concern is with productivity,
and the cost of training their staff, both new and existing.
Their concern is, however, particularly focused on
"deterioration in Canada's trend rate of productivity growth,"
because the country's growth means better profits for TD.
A point to better literacy -- better educated people would not
likely keep their money in banks much longer.
Literacy and numeracy rates would not necessarily sky rocket
should employers pay a better wage, but at least the
disadvantaged could possibly enroll in a course or two because
they could hire a babysitter, or use their spare time for
something other than another part time job. They might even be
simply happier because they get to do something they enjoy
with spare time/money, and thereby develop a better disposition.
Do employers ever stop to think that a lot of work is far too
mundane to inspire productivity? Our imaginations are becoming
rather stimulated, thanks to technology, and boring jobs can't
keep even loyal staff interested. Perhaps one day corporations
will appreciate that the current educational system is
discouraging learning because of the focus on linear
knowledge, and the products produced (by the linear learning)
are in themselves the very vehicles to poor brain function.
Skeptically, I'd say that those at the top want this situation
to continue, but what we're experiencing is burn out. That
will lead to systemic unrest, and both education and the
workplace will have to bend to reach the light.
Natalia
pete wrote:
On Thu, 06 Sep 2007, Natalia <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
CanWest News reported today that the TD Bank recently arrived at a
dollar value to assign to literacy/numeracy skills based on a study of
a number of Canadian and international studies. The report found that
about 40% of youth lack literacy skills and and roughly half of adults
lack both literacy and numeracy.
"An increase in literacy of one percent would mean a $32 billion
increase in national income -- three times the returns on investment in
machinery," Craig Alexander, TD Bank deputy chief economist and author
of the report said. More dependence on service-based, rather than
industrial sectors, he explained.
He stressed that improving literacy improves civic engagement: "People
are more likely to vote if they can read the ballot."
A 2003 report placed Canada 3rd in reading skills out of 41 nations,
7th in math and 11th in science. There were disparities between
provinces, girls and boys, immigrants and Canadian born, and urban and
rural divides.
Natalia
How general is this result, I wonder - did they say it only applies to
Canada? The extrapolation is $1B per million population per percent.
I might add that there is a limit to the available increase,
particularly for numeracy, which is quite a lot below 100% - remember
50% of the population is of below median intelligence; I would guess
that numeracy can only be achieved by about 85% of the population.
-PV
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