Literacy Vs. Education.

 What is Literacy?

Literacy maybe defined as the capability to understand, read and write. It is mainly related to the talent of reading and writing. It enables people to use it as a resource to obtain knowledge. This definition of literacy is a traditional one because the term literacy has changed to a great extent with the passage of time. In the current era, the term literacy does not mean the ability to read and write but includes the capacity to use computers, numbers, images, and other essential resources to understand, communicate, and obtain valuable information.

 “Literacy is the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate and compute, using printed and written materials associated with varying contexts”. (UNESCO)

 

What is Education?

Education may be defined as, a systematic process of enabling learning, or the attainment of knowledge, skills, beliefs, and values. Education helps in changing the mindset of a person and makes him constructive in his approach. As far as modern education is concerned, it teaches about the skills, which are required today and related to fields such as skills of commerce, computer science, technology, medical science, etc. It replaces the common thinking process with critical thinking.

 Difference between Literacy and Education

• Literacy refers to the capability to read and write whereas education refers to the attainment of knowledge.
• Every literate person cannot be known as educated but an educated person possesses the quality of literacy.
• Literacy is a narrow concept that helps in maintaining the status quo whereas education is a broader concept which develops and nurtures human personality.
• Literacy does not necessarily include experience and practice but education is a combination of experience and practice.
• Literacy is referred to as a tool that helps in fulfilling the main objective of education and that is to develop a person’s behavior. 

There are many people in the world, who are either illiterate or have not completed their education, but they are still successful because of their worth of practice and experience. But one thing which is important is they depend upon the educated people in order to operate their large organizations.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, the major problem of our society is that it shows literacy equivalent to education. If a country has a higher literacy rate it does not mean that they all are educated. A literate has the ability to read and write but education helps in the execution of knowledge. The most important thing is that education helps in the attainment of skills, which ultimately makes a person more productive and efficient. Skills keep on adding value in a person which helps in obtaining his financial goals and to serve society by providing effective services. It is important to understand that only read and write is not enough because the actual thing is the attainment of knowledge.