'Dysfunctional literacy' phenomenon
SOMETHING worse than `functional illiteracy' (people who cannot read and write properly)? There is, according to Education Minister, Dr Dale Bisnauth.
He advanced his arguments at the formal opening Sunday of the Berbice Campus of the University of Guyana.
According to the minister, who, because of the portfolio he holds should know what he is talking about, the danger of "dysfunctional literacy" is worse than "functional illiteracy".
"Functional illiteracy is bad. What is probably worse is dysfunctional literacy," he contends.
His definition of dysfunctional literacy is an education that is duly certified, given a diploma and "degreed" that causes only trouble in society.
Dysfunctional literacy is the means by which persons can have the "wit to rationalise and justify (trouble) in the process of manipulating the illiterate to selfish ends", he advances.
A university degree or education is not required to determine some of those, particularly on the political scene, who fit the goodly minister's definition.
Let the Education Minister speak further:
"People cannot behave like threatening bull frogs holding a symposium round a swamp or (behave like) worms in a corner of the mud, debating the next step to power or power-sharing."
People shouldn't, but they are, and that's the danger, especially in this charged political climate.
"Change is good but the wise do not change from something to nothing", Dr Bisnauth stated.
He said: "The major problem that faces us in these parts is that we have so much catching up to do in the 20th century that we are ill-prepared and ill-equipped in resources for the herculean demands of the 21st century."
That is why the society has to be acutely aware of the very real threats from the dysfunctional literacy syndrome.
If the dysfunctional literacy illness that the Education Minister has defined takes hold, it would threaten the very stability of the society.
Mr Vincent de Visscher, Head of the European Union Delegation to Guyana noted in a letter to the newspapers here yesterday the critical importance of political stability to the country.
"It comes without saying that a stable political climate will be of paramount importance to attract new investors.
"Any further delay will further compromise the recovery of the economy", he warned.
A university education is not required to see the sense in this - hard common sense, road sense, street sense spell it all out.
Guyana does not need graduates and experts in dysfunctional literacy.
It needs a spreading of good old common sense among the population to spot `experts' like these and more of those who are concerned should begin to make their voices heard.
If the schemes of the dysfunctional literacy graduates are exposed early enough, the danger from what they seek to preach may be drastically reduced.
And the Education Minister would then be able to turn more of his attention to dealing with the real problem of functional illiteracy.
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