EFFECT OF ILLITERACY ON POLITICAL PARTICIPATION

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.0     Background of the study

Illiteracy or an illiterate person according to Ralinema (1995) is one who lives in a state of primary or remote consciousness, subliminal of his roles in society. He is a passive object of history submerged by the exigencies of his daily life. He is paralyzed by his sense of importance a phobia and he is enslaved ignorance of his capacity and potentialities as a human being. He is unable to comprehend the situation or environment, which envelops him, therefore is powerless to act for his freedom and liberation. He is a liability to the world around him in his mental under nourishment. In this consideration, literacy goes beyond mere reading and writing.