Of Literacy and Lying...

Have you ever felt you're not learning much in school? I certainly had that problem, although I have to admit that was mostly because of an unfortunate tendency to daydream...the one thing I did learn was how to lie, but that's only because I went to a really strict school where you had to be quick with excuses for things like why you were late, or weren't wearing your school blazer and other such terrible misdemeanors.

But my mendacious training in school is not where I was going with this. Actually, today is International Literacy Day, which reminded me of something I learned recently: one of the big issues in the education sector today is making sure children are actually learning in school. Up until recently, the focus was mainly on increasing enrollements, i.e. getting more kids into school. However, it turns out that many children, even though they've completed a course of primary schooling, still lack basic reading skills.

Why is this happening? Well, there are many reasons, including lack of qualified teachers and overcrowding in schools. We explored the issue in more detail in this Youthink! feature.

What does literacy mean to you? What role has it played in your life? What are your favorite books? And am I the only one who didn't learn much in school or do you feel the same way?