Canadians have high-credentials but are illiterate

[mikedavid00]

http://www.worldlit.ca/facts.html

22% of adult Canadians have serious problems dealing with printed materials.

About 45% of new Canadian jobs created in this decade will require at least 16 years of education.

Canadians with the lowest level of literacy skills have an unemployment rate of 26% compared to 4% for Canadians with the highest literacy levels.

Nearly 1.4 million Canadian children 15 years of age and younger are living in low-income homes. 34% of children from the lowest income families do not complete their high school education.

60% of Canadians on social assistance have not completed high school.

42% of Native Canadians do not graduate from high school, compared to 22% in the non-native population.

Almost three-quarters of 626 Canadian companies surveyed feel that they have a significant problem with functional literacy in some part of their organization.

Only 10% of Canadians see illiteracy as part of our economic problems.

ANOTHER INTESTING POINT:

In South Asia

South Asia is home to one-fifth of the world's population and 40% of the world's absolute poor.

Nearly 98% of the world's illiterate population lives in developing countries. Half of these people live in South Asia.

SOLUTION - COME TO CANADA AND GHETTOIZE HERE!

[geoffrey]

Immigrants do bring a large chunk of the illiteracy issue with them, but I know many white Canadians educated in our schools that have a reading problem.

To say that these people are ghettoising us here, I don't know, I think that's extreme. On the flipside of your argument, there are many foreign doctors, engineers and lawyers that are driving taxi cabs because we won't recognize their badly needed credentials. This is a far bigger problem than illiterate immigrants.

[mikedavid00]

Immigrants do bring a large chunk of the illiteracy issue with them, but I know many white Canadians educated in our schools that have a reading problem.

To say that these people are ghettoising us here, I don't know, I think that's extreme. On the flipside of your argument, there are many foreign doctors, engineers and lawyers that are driving taxi cabs because we won't recognize their badly needed credentials. This is a far bigger problem than illiterate immigrants.

We already have too many engineers in our country. They have to get approval to be engineers which is governed by a regulatory body and the reason why the don't is because they have to go back to school in order to upgrade their skills. For instance, a civil engineering degree from 3rd world pakistan has little to do with the structure in which our engineering here in North America is done.

Mechanical is the same thing - in North America we use differnt system and measurements. Engineering is more of a regional facit and that's why it's govered the way it is.

Also, they tried to pilot test a new fast-track medical exam for foreign Doctors where if you passed the testing, you would be considered a Doctor and be able to start your residency within 6 months.

Sounded good to a lot of poeple until the bad news: out of 30 people, only 1 or 2 passed the first case study which was a basic diagnoses and all failed the whole exam poorly. That's why that plan was scrapped.

Doctors who immigrate here that are real doctors, will go through the proper channels to become Doctors. But you don't realize that in the third world you pass class by who you and your family know - not on skills.

There's a saying in Pakistan 'under each rock you'll find a doctor'. My friend told me that over there they get paid minimum wage and that if you get a surgeon under the civic healthcare system, he'll leave tools inside of you.

This guy I knew came from Punjab as a dentist. He was 28 years old firstly (that should make you wonder) and was refused from every single school he tried.

Do you not think there's a valid reason for this?

I certainly don't consider these people Doctors.

Here's a deal:

All the lefty's and yourself can take the imported doctors from the third world,

I'll take the Canadian born and schooled doctors.

[Wilber]

Get rid of the video games, unplug the computer and get the kid a library card.

[SirSpanky]

With the library card, get the kid a pair of cleats and a soccer ball, or a baseball glove, or a basketball....

[geoffrey]

Good point spanky, I'm much more concerned about fat kids than illerate ones, but both are serious issues.

[August1991]

Get rid of the video games, unplug the computer and get the kid a library card.

While I won't deny the pleasure of a good book or even browsing a library's shelves, the Internet in many ways puts a library card to shame.

Also, am I the only person to appreciate the irony of a thread on literacy containing many posts with spelling and grammatical mistakes and started by a poster with this in their signature: "I'm too busy to check my grammar and spelling."?

[theloniusfleabag]

Dear August1991,

While I won't deny the pleasure of a good book or even browsing a library's shelves, the Internet in many ways puts a library card to shame.

I have to agree, but I do enjoy going to McNalley Robinson on occasion, just to make a 'mental wish list'.

Also, am I the only person to appreciate the irony of a thread on literacy containing many posts with spelling and grammatical mistakes and started by a poster with this in their signature: "I'm too busy to check my grammar and spelling."?

Indeed, I have had many a chuckle, but have not deigned to reply to this poster, as it seems to me that they are a 'flame/troll' poster.