Can’t read, won’t read

A couple of weeks ago a university professor in America put up a post explaining why education in America was in a state of crisis He explained how he had asked his high school students to read three contemporary novels all highly acclaimed and was shocked to realize that a majority couldnrsquot get through any of them Apparently the students struggled with some of the longer sentences and gave up after a chapter or twoThe professor was at pains to highlight that these werenrsquot particularly difficult novels to comprehend and that they would have been enriching for anyone who got through them That no one in class managed to finish even one came as a shock prompting him to check with other teachers across the country An impromptu poll quickly revealed versions of the same story playing out everywhereIn 2024 a report by the US Department of Educationrsquos National Assessment of Educational Progress testing showed that only 32 per cent of fourth graders in America could read at or above proficiency for their grade level It also stated that 18 per cent of Americarsquos adults were illiterate and 52 per cent did not reach a basic level of literacy considered necessary to function in societyThat report prompted me of think of two things almost immediately First it helped me understand why that country had elected a convicted felon to power not once but twice Second it made me wonder what that meant for India where education has never been a priority and where there has never been a shortage of felons Statistics published each year tell us where things stand when it comes to literacy levels but I began questioning the parameters of those surveys given that signs of intelligence are rarely on display around usI believe our reverence for stupidity and disregard for education trickles down from the top Consider the hours spent in Parliament debating issues that mean little to most Indians endless debates on what should or shouldnrsquot be renamed announcements of schemes that arenrsquot tethered to economic reality budgets diverted towards projects that benefit no one and an endless stream of decisions that make as little sense on paper as they do in real lifeHistory teaches us that a poorly educated populace is good for governments that are interested in complete control A nation of morons will always be easier to manage than one where the literate may outnumber the illiterate It explains why America has spent much of the past couple of years trying to limit access to knowledge Books are being banned for flimsy reasons teachers are being discouraged from sticking to their profession and we are now at a stage where students who raise banners protesting atrocities against other human beings are being deported with their visas revoked Learning is becoming a bad wordIndia hasnrsquot managed to get to their point yet even if it isnrsquot for lack of trying The vilification of students has been underway for a while along with measures to limit funds for teachers and resources Ten years ago in America 183 books were targeted for removal from libraries according to the American Library Association by 2023 that number had risen to 4240 This year 112 state bills have been proposed to define what is deemed obscene and what libraries can or cannot hold In India that wonrsquot be possible until we first have enough libraries which wonrsquot happen because no one will talk about the need for them in Parliament anytime soonThe lack of attention being paid to education should worry us For years now illiteracy and insecurity have helped turn groups of citizens into mobs They are easy to control and easier to unleash upon the rest of us at the slightest provocation All a politician must do is wave a red flag before a film movie theatre or standup comic and the mob turns up ready for violence This doesnrsquot happen in countries that focus on learningMuch has been said about how the future of India is bright and how we are supposedly marching towards becoming a superpower And yet this is also a country where the police can ignore real crime and spend hours issuing notices to attendees of comedy shows It may seem as if these things arenrsquot connected but everything eventually boils down to onersquos capacity to separate right from wrong If we donrsquot take education seriously we will always be the kind of country that fights viruses by banging thalisWhen he isnrsquot ranting about all things Mumbai Lindsay Pereira can be almost sweet He tweets lindsaypereiraSend your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomatOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params