What is Literacy?
At ILP, Literacy = Education, Earning Potential and Empowerment!
This definition is based on our years of learning that literacy cannot just be measured by one’s ability to read, write and perform arithmetic.
Education: Development of knowledge, skill and character in the 0-14 years age group.
Earning Potential: Education of youth (15 to 24 years) with a focus on income generation, economic mobility, life coping skills, cultural and social responsibility, etc.
Empowerment: Equip individuals and communities with the ability to make choices by promoting an understanding of their basic rights and social responsibilities.
The importance of literacy can be stated at two levels: National and Individual.
At the national level, in a participative democracy like India, a literate population is required to build a nation with strong social, economic and political foundations. Literacy is an important starting point that brings awareness in people to work towards a better living. It helps them to break free of shackles of ignorance, avoid getting manipulated, and being left out of the mainstream.
At an individual level, the increased confidence of every newly literate person to achieve the impossible bears heartwarming testimony to the power of literacy.
