DEMOCRACY AND MASS ILLITERACY CAN’T GO HAVE IN HAND
Outline:
Outline rephrased:
(i)
Introduction:
Democracy and literacy complement each
other seamlessly.
(ii)
Literacy serves as
the cornerstone of democracy.
(iii)
It plays a pivotal
role in fostering civic culture and fostering engaged citizenship.
(iv)
Education fosters
awareness and consciousness among the populace, essential elements for a
thriving democracy.
(v)
Mass illiteracy and
democracy are incompatible, as:
(a)
Illiteracy hinders the
development of political consciousness necessary for forming public opinion.
(b)
It results in diminished
public participation.
(c)
Illiteracy diminishes the
benefits of political engagement.
(d)
Illiteracy facilitates the
manipulation by corrupt politicians and enables exploitation.
(e)
An uneducated society
struggles to hold its representatives accountable.
(f)
Illiteracy fosters
intolerance and undermines the value of dissent, contrary to democratic
principles.
(g)
Uneducated masses lack
collective thinking abilities.
(h)
Illiteracy undermines the
rule of law crucial for democratic functionality.
(vi)
Practical Validation
of the thesis statement:
Highly literate democracies demonstrate greater
resilience and effectiveness, exemplified by:
(a)
South Korea
(b)
Malaysia
(c)
The United States of
America.
(vii)
The Case Study of Pakistan:
Illiteracy stands as a central factor in
Pakistan's democratic shortcomings.
(viii)
Nations must
prioritize education to fully realize the benefits of democracy.
(ix)
Conclusion:
Democracy loses its essence without widespread
education.
Democracy is considered to be the
best form of government. A democratic government empowers people and works
according to their desires. Therefore, the presence of a well-educated society
is essential for the proper functioning of democracy. Democracy and education
are congruent with each other and the success of democracy hinges upon
literacy. Education is essential for creating civic culture, awareness, and
consciousness among the masses which makes the superstructure of democracy.
Contrastingly, illiteracy is against the very ideology of democracy. It hampers
the process of political consciousness and lowers public participation. It does
not prepare the citizens to meet the challenge of questioning and seeking
information on matters which directly affect them. Therefore, it mars the way
of accountability which is another vital ingredient to democracy. This leads to
the exploitation of the masses and also shrinks the benefits of political
participation. Uneducated masses cannot develop collective thinking which is at
the core of democracy. Furthermore, the rule of law cannot prevail in an
illiterate society incompatible with democracy. Empirical evidence also reveals
that highly educated countries enjoy persistent and effective democracies as
compared to those countries where the literacy rate is poor. Pakistan falls in
the category of the latter. The poor literacy rate is the chief reason behind
the failure of democracy in Pakistan. Therefore, Education must be ensured to
reap the benefits of democracy.
To begin with, Franklin D.
Roosevelt once remarked that democracy cannot succeed unless those who express
their opinions are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy,
therefore, is education. Similarly, great philosophers like Aristotle and Plato
also placed education at the heart of democracy. They opined that democracy
without education is a tyranny and that education is the letter and spirit of
democracy. Without education, democratic culture cannot flourish. Education is
the sine qua non for democracy and it provides the very foundation for its
effective functioning. Therefore, it can be said that democracy without
literacy is meaningless.
Similarly, democracy can only
deliver in the presence of certain conditions and values. These values can only
be developed in a society where literacy is of prime importance. Democracy is
not only limited to elections rather it is as applicable to common people as to
politicians. To instill democratic virtues • among the masses, education is the
only means. It helps in developing civic culture among the masses which makes
them aware of their rights and responsibilities. This makes them responsible
citizens who are completely aware and conscious of their role and power under
social contract. Through education, they
are trained to play their due part in a democratic system and the culture of
democracy flourishes. This training is vital to make democracy effective. Thus,
it can be concluded that democracy thrives on education.
Contrastingly, in the presence of
mass illiteracy, democracy cannot work properly. Illiteracy does not provide a
conducive environment for democracy. Political consciousness among the masses
is vital for the effectiveness of democracy. It can only be developed by
education. Education enables people to understand and prioritize their needs
and requirements. It enables them to judge the performance of political parties
rationally. It gives them the vision to comprehend the ideology of political
parties and decide which ideology will be better for them. The presence of
political consciousness among people gives them the ability to choose such
leaders they deem fit. They cannot be lured by politicians for short-term
benefits and judge the candidates on their capabilities. Unfortunately,
illiteracy cannot develop such a mentality in the masses. Hence, democracy
cannot deliver in the presence of mass illiteracy.
Furthermore, another drawback of
mass illiteracy is the poor participation of people in the democratic process.
Abraham Lincoln once defined democracy as the government of the people, by the
people, and for the people. This criterion can only be fulfilled when every
entitled citizen of the society participates in the process. This can only be
done through education as it enables them to know the value of -this opinion in
a democratic process. The analysis of democracies around the globe also
validates the fact that mass illiteracy leads to poor participation countries
where the literacy rate is high enjoy high turnout of people during the
electoral process while less educated countries observe poor turnout. Public
participation is at the heart of democracy and without it, it loses its
efficacy. Therefore, it can be concluded that democracy and mass illiteracy
cannot go hand in hand.
In addition to that, low public
participation and disinterest of people in the democratic process also shrink
the benefit of public participation. This happens owing to the reason that the
voices of the majority of people go unheard owing to low participation. Those
people who do not contribute to the democratic process cannot raise their
concerns and requirements in front of their representatives. Representatives,
owing to this reason, patronize a certain group of people to consolidate their
position in their constituencies. They focus on those areas where they can work
on tangible projects to gain political capital. This leads to the neglect of
areas like education and health which is also vital for people. Hence, it can
be said that low public participation yields in the shrinkage of benefits of
public participation which eventually undermines democracy.
Likewise, mass illiteracy also
leads to the exploitation of the masses by their representatives and rulers.
Illiterate people play in the hands of corrupt politicians. It is easy to
manipulate and exploit an illiterate person as he does not possess the ability
to comprehend the true extent of any issue. Illiteracy prevents one from
developing one's rational opinion. Unawareness and inability to read and write
are some of the consequences of illiteracy. These vices are detrimental to
democracy as corrupt politicians manipulate such people and play with their
emotions. This according to Aristotle, leads to the popularity of ignorance
which is worse than any other form of government. Conversely, an educated
person cannot be exploited and manipulated as he will be well-equipped to
develop his own opinion. Thus, democracy is meaningless without literacy.
Moreover, accountability is
another hallmark of democracy. It is the only form of government where the
masses can hold their rulers accountable. However, for citizens to meet the
challenge of questioning and seeking information on matters that affect them,
literacy is crucial. Only educated people can analyze the performance of their
rulers and judge them accordingly. A comparison of literate and illiterate
nations validates the veracity of this notion. Countries, like the USA and
South Korea, where the literacy rate is high have strong accountability
mechanisms. Representatives in these countries are answerable to "the
masses. The resignation of South Korea's Prime Minister. Lee Won-Ko's 2016
allegations of corruption speak volumes about strict accountability. However,
in countries, like Pakistan and India, where the literacy rate is low
accountability is always regarded as political victimization. Hence, it can be
said that democracy and mass illiteracy are not compatible with each other.
Similarly, democracy breeds
intolerance and dissent. Democracy is pluralistic. As E.M. Forster said,
"Two cheers for democracy-one because it admits variety and two because it
permits criticism. Tolerance and respect for the opinions of others can only
prevail in such a society where the literacy level is higher. This is because
education teaches people the value of dissent and highlights the importance of
tolerance in society. According to a social experiment conducted by Oxfam
International, well-educated countries are more tolerant and open to
differences of opinion as compared to less educated countries. Both these
virtues are vital for the effectiveness of democracy. Therefore, it can be said
that democracy and mass illiteracy cannot go hand in hand.
Moreover, education is also
integral to developing collective thinking among the masses. The whole concept
of democracy and modern nation-states is based on the theory of social contract
In this system collective wisdom is always preferred over individual one. The
virtue of collective thinking is only present in educated societies as
constituents of such societies believe in social harmony and national cohesion.
Contrastingly, in illiterate societies, selfish motives also undermine
collective incentives. The benefits of economic activities remain concentrated
in the hands of a few owing to unawareness and absence of accountability.
Therefore, democracy can't thrive in the presence of mass illiteracy.
Furthermore, the rule of law is
another hallmark of democracy. The rule of law ensures that every constituent
of the country enjoys equal rights and follows the same obligations. It
provides equality of opportunity and equality of outcomes which is integral for
social mobility. A holistic analysis of the world's history reveals that the
rule of law only prevails in such societies which are well-educated. The
History of the USA and England is a testimony of this fact. Societies where the
literacy rate is low are prone to rule by law instead of the rule of law.
However, the very foundation of democracy Is contingent upon the principle of
the rule of law. In its absence, democracy cannot deliver according to the
aspirations of the people. Therefore, to ensure the rule of law and a fully
functional democracy, education Is a must.
Similarly, empirical evidence
also 'reveals that democracy is more persistent and stable in those countries
where the literacy rate is higher. For instance, according to the World Bank,
the literacy rate of Pakistan is 60% whereas it is 76% in the case of India the
former is politically unstable, and now and then, democratically elected
governments are overthrown by dictators. On the other hand, the latter is the
biggest democracy in the world and it has never experienced political
instability. Moreover, countries with high literacy rates have strong
substantive democracies as compared to those countries where the literacy rate
is poor. It is more effective, functional, and welfare-oriented in the case of
former countries. The example of the Scandinavian countries, the USA and South
Korea validates the veracity of this fact. Hence, it can be concluded that
democracy and education go hand in hand.
Since its creation, Pakistan has
been experiencing political turmoil. In the first 6Q years of its creation,
only a single democratically elected government managed to complete its term.
In the same period, the country was ruled by dictators thrice. Institutional
imbalance, absence of national political parties, low participation, rule by
law, and absence of accountability are the features of Pakistan’s political
system; people are largely unaware of their rights and responsibilities and
intolerance has become the order of the day. The profession of politics is
limited to feudal? and wealthy people owing to the involvement of huge
financial resources. As discussed earlier. These vices are only present in such
countries where the literacy rate is poor. So, it is safe to assume that the
poor literacy rate of Pakistan is also the main factor behind the inconsistent
and unstable democracy in the country. Therefore, in Pakistan’s case, mass
illjteracy_is the main cause behind the failure of democracy. ,
There is no denying the fact that
democracy is the best form of government in countries that focused on the
development of democratic culture and made it their way of living they reached
the zenith of glory. Developing countries must also learn from the experiences
of these countries should learn how they designed and utilized their, education
system to promote democratic culture among the masses. Education is the panacea
for all ills and it supplements the productivity of democracy. To address the issue of political instability
and inefficiencies of the democratic system, countries must resort to education.
Only by instilling democratic virtues through education, they can develop a
democratic system according to indigenous requirements. Therefore, education
must be given prime importance to ensure persistence and effective democracy in
any country
In conclusion, democracy and
illiteracy cannot go hand in hand. Both are incompatible with each other. The
success and effectiveness of democracy is directly related to the level of
education. It is meaningless without education. Its purpose dies down in the
presence of illiteracy. Education creates awareness and develops civic virtues
among the masses. These virtues give meaning to democracy. Illiteracy does not
create political awareness which leads to low participation of people in the
electoral process. An illiterate person cannot hold his representative
accountable which leads to exploitation and undermining of his rights.
Democracy breeds the virtues of tolerance and the value of dissent; However,
illiteracy leads to intolerance and discourages differences of opinion. Rule of
law cannot prevail in, democratic countries where the literacy rate is high
enjoy persistent stable, and effective democracies as compared to those
countries where the literacy rate is low the failure of democracy in Pakistan
can also be attributed to the low level of literacy Therefore, education is
must for the effective functioning of democracy and countries must promote
literacy to reap the benefits of democracy.
