The Topic of Illiteracy

This is one of my little essays where I take on a topic that won't be discussed much in German culture....illiteracy.

Back in 2011, the Hamburg University sat down and did a lot of analysis.  They eventually came to this study where they say about nine-percent of the 82-million population....can't read beyond the 3rd grade level.  That basically comes to around 7-million folks....more or less. 

The Germans have invented various program to go back and try to bring this group (some are approaching their senior years) to some level of improvement. 

For a number of folks....especially the intellectual class, it's hard to believe that many Germans exist at that level. 

Over the years, I've come across a few folks like this.  They ended up as grocery clerks, bus drivers, or landscapers.  There are various jobs that you can kinda hide out and just avoid making it known about your limited intelligence or marginal reading skills.  I used to deal with a delivery driver at Ramstein who was in this category.  The boss of this guy was kind in avoiding any IT-gadgets and the order to deliver was always a simple listing with a map and the building number. 

Explaining why such a high number exists?  Germans typically have this perception that you ought to just catch onto the teaching method, and if you don't.....they easily let you fall through the cracks, and don't waste time on 'recovery'.  I saw that at various points with my son's German schools.  In the local areas, there are tutor services now that run from September to early spring....to help the marginal kids stay with their groups.  Note, it's not free, and a fair number of parents simply can't afford this extra tutor deal to make up for the problems. 

To some degree, this large group that exists now in the long-term unemployed.....the ones with no certifications or training to make their re-entry positive....it's a major problem.

My German wife brought up this point today, because it's a discussed item in hiring of migrants now.....if they are illiterate in nature.  Some Germans perceive that issue rests in the background of the current immigration problems.  Whether it's truthful or not.....they already feel this way about themselves....in that some Germans are illiterate, so why not the migrants as well?

The problem here, if you try to invent some resolution or way out of this problem.....it usually just makes it worse.