OPINION ESSAY

THE COUNTRY, LIBRARIES AND READING
Opinion Essay

Introduction

Fifty years ago, Colombia was a country basically illiterate, in which knowledge was communicated orally through religious or political images. Now days, according to unesco data, 64% of the adult population are illiterate, which would imply a rate against the country's education level. Unfortunately, the situation is like this in Colombia because the rates of reading, buying books and reading comprehension of children, youth and adults are very low. In this regard it is important to understand that reading is essential to raise the educational level of people, and to improve the economic and social development of the country.

Main body

Although school enrollment has increased significantly, its quality has not improved in the same way. In general, schools do not develop the skills, in order for students to properly read the complex and autonomous texts, so that students come to adulthood with the skills and habits required to stay current in their professions and update their knowledge. Without a school in which children acquire the habit of reading, with a population able to read well, you can not achieve this competitiveness to be succesful in a world that demands ever-greater preparedness.


Improving reading skills leads to the domain of language, therefore it enriches the quality of communication, the whole basis of individual creativity and a source of fun and enchantment of creation and recreation. Read the man offers the possibility of coming contact with the most intelligent of all men, the opportunity to talk with the best companions, who have the most exciting stories, and you know the most beautiful poems, in effect it opens the door, wider to a world full of culture. Above all, it develops the ability to look critically at the world and society.

Another aspect that is affecting the development of reading levels in the population is the high cost of books. Many people are interested in reading, but the price of books does not allow them to have the desired access to good literature. Faced with this problem, the government and in particular some mayors have become aware and have opened libraries in different cities, in order to facilitate the reading to as many people as possible.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the image culture that invades the world today is a culture of persuasion and authority. It is increasingly easy to read images without the effort, and without the analysis that requires true reading. The image simplifies, strengthens and encourages reading in a critical way. No one reads without question, without thinking about the validity of what says the newspaper or the book, without stopping to think whether what is said is true or the text is well argument. While it is possible to argue with these images numb criticism and make the spectator an object of manipulation. Colombia to enter the world of reading may be entering the world of scientific thinking and reading which might not release us from violence and poverty and if we pound some form of ignorance and credibility.

LINA HERNANDEZ P.