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Literacy has many definitions and can include many sub-categories including Health Literacy, Financial Literacy, Computer Literacy, Functional Work Literacy, Family Literacy, Social Literacy, Media Literacy, and many others.
These highly specialized sub-categories highlight the difficulty in creating a catch-all definer. Therefore, we have included a few examples of definitions that best relate to adult literacy in general to cast the widest net as to what the term entails.
Following are useful definitions of the term "literacy":
"An individual's ability to read, write, and speak in English, compute and solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job and in society, to achieve one's goals, and develop one's knowledge and potential." -- The National Literacy Act
“Literacy is a human right, a tool of personal empowerment and a means for cultural development. Literacy is inseparably tied to all aspects of life and livelihood. Access to quality literacy learning opportunities and the development of literate environments are essential components of strategies for poverty reduction, equality, economic development and environmental protection.” -- UNESCO
"Experience and research show that literacy can be a major tool for eradicating poverty, enlarging employment opportunities, advancing gender equality, improving family health, protecting the environment and promoting democratic participation. A literate home environment is a boon to child development, having a positive impact on how long girls and boys stay enrolled in school and how effectively they learn […] As the foundation of learning throughout life, literacy is at the heart of sustainable development. Yet today there are an estimated 800 million illiterate adults, two thirds of whom are women. More than 100 million children are not in school. It is clear that support for literacy continues to fall well short of need."
-- Kofi Annan, Former UN Secretary General,
International Day of Literacy, September 2005
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