Reading and literacy are being given a push by mobile technology in developing countries where illiteracy rates are high and physical text scarce, according to a UNESCO study.
The report “Reading in the Mobile Era” highlights that hundreds of thousands of people currently use mobile technology as a portal to text.
The study was conducted in seven developing countries: Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
“Findings show that in countries where illiteracy rates are high and physical text is scarce, large numbers of people read full-length books and stories on rudimentary small screen devices,” said an official statement.
According to the statement, there are 774 million people in the world, including 123 million youth, who can’t read or write.
Drawing on the analysis of over 4,000 surveys and corresponding qualitative interviews, the study found that a large number of people read stories to children from mobile phones.
It also inferred females read far more on mobile devices than males, and both men and women read more cumulatively when they start reading on a mobile device.
About UNESCO:
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization aims to contribute to peace and security through promoting international collaboration by means of education, science, and culture in order to further universal respect for justice, the rule of law, and human rights along with fundamental freedom proclaimed in the UN Charter.
