Do you have any experience of educated but functionally illiterate person? Definitely, you do have as there are millions of functionally illiterate around us. Please share your experience in this survey.
Background
Many definitions are available on functionally illiterate and one of them is "a person with some basic education who still falls short of a minimum standard of literacy or whose reading and writing skills are inadequate to everyday needs". In day to day functioning we discover some people who have completed their formal literacy education but in reality unable to comprehend what they read or unable to express their thought in writing. Many university students both undergraduate and postgraduate unable to write an idea or have difficulties in under¬standing the ideas of a text. According to the UNESCO report, "no country is immune to functional illiteracy".
My Experience
I cite following four events of my experience with functionally illiterate persons. The first two events were with the bank officers of the top rated and highly reputed banks regarding account opening and change of address. I filled the prescribed account opening form according to the instructions on the form and submitted to the concerned officer for further process. The officer gave it back that the last page, which is titled with "Additional Information (Optional)", is blank. Yes, I left it blank intentionally because it is optional. But the officer ordered me to fill it. When unable to convince or teach meaning of 'optional' word, I followed the order as I was in need of the bank account. I received triple rewards from the officer by a pat, a big smile and the account for my obedience, quick learning skill and in particular for the illiterate act. In another occasion, when I submitted change of address form to the bank I received reply, what is the meaning of this process as you have bank cards and Internet banking facility with the account. Unaware of how to convince and in this case when the officer was none other than the Branch Manager, simply I gave an intent look. In response, the manager gave me a sarcastic look for my foolishness and a prizewinning smile on her intelligence. I cursed me a lot why I tried and started to think how to redirect the bank posts.
The second pair of events was with a shopkeeper and mobile service provider regarding mobile connection form and email enquiry. The shopkeeper returned the form when I submitted for mobile connection. He was asking me to fill the part where I had written ‘not applicable’. It was the part titled with "Please fill form 60/61 (whichever applicable) given below in case you do not have PAN/GIR No.". Form 60 to be filled by a person who does not have either a PAN or GIR number. Form 61 to be filled by a person who has agricultural income. I told him that I have already provided PAN and do not have income from agricultural business. But he was persistence that he has processed thousands of such forms. I also took stand and explained him thoroughly why I am refusing to do so. He reluctantly accepted my form. I was happy being able to prevent an illiterate act but unaware of the consequences. I started enjoying new mobile connection. After a week one morning all of a sudden I was unable to call or receive any phone calls. The day was one of the busy and mobile-dependent day as I was expecting a call from overseas, two calls from the event organising committees, two calls from the friends regarding important matters and a call from an unknown courier company regarding delivery of household goods. I went to the shopkeeper. He phoned immediately to the mobile service provider but in vain. The shopkeeper assured me that he will take care of the matter. He also raised a doubt indirectly that it may be because of the unique form with ‘not applicable’ in forms 60 and 61. Now what? Instead of the busy, productive and mobile-dependent day, the day became one the worst and unique by its own way as I spent most of the time inside a cubicle of a public telephone shop for calling overseas, the organising committees and the friends, reaching to the unknown courier company and obviously for follow-up with the mobile service provider. When there was no sign of life in my mobile, in the evening, I sent an email to the customer service with relevant details, such as mobile number, name and address. Next day morning I received reply. While opening email I was happy that the quick reply shows more likely resolution of the problem and was thanking to the inventors of Internet and email. The email was saying "Thanks for your email regarding … ... ... ... but please send us following information.
Customer Name:
Mobile Number:
Address:
… ".
Wow! What is this? I already sent the information. I checked my email. Then I was able to appreciate the company’s commitment towards customers as they were not simply promising but were putting it in practice too their motto of better customer-centred services. You see, what mistake I did, I provided my mobile number first but they need customer name first. You see! When I didn’t have any words to express my gratitude for their approach, I simply provided the information asked in the sequence by controlling myself that by mistake I may write "Please read my email carefully I have already provided the required information". Then I missed even pleasure of receiving any reply of my emails but enjoyed my patient for a few days. After restoring the mobile services, the shopkeeper told me that he has done some paper work on behalf of me but I didn’t have courage to ask what type of paper work!
Appeal for Participation
Please contribute by taking part and encouraging your friends to take part in this survey by writing your experience with functionally illiterate in the space below for comment. You are welcome to write as many as events you want. Thanks in anticipation.
Background
Many definitions are available on functionally illiterate and one of them is "a person with some basic education who still falls short of a minimum standard of literacy or whose reading and writing skills are inadequate to everyday needs". In day to day functioning we discover some people who have completed their formal literacy education but in reality unable to comprehend what they read or unable to express their thought in writing. Many university students both undergraduate and postgraduate unable to write an idea or have difficulties in under¬standing the ideas of a text. According to the UNESCO report, "no country is immune to functional illiteracy".
My Experience
I cite following four events of my experience with functionally illiterate persons. The first two events were with the bank officers of the top rated and highly reputed banks regarding account opening and change of address. I filled the prescribed account opening form according to the instructions on the form and submitted to the concerned officer for further process. The officer gave it back that the last page, which is titled with "Additional Information (Optional)", is blank. Yes, I left it blank intentionally because it is optional. But the officer ordered me to fill it. When unable to convince or teach meaning of 'optional' word, I followed the order as I was in need of the bank account. I received triple rewards from the officer by a pat, a big smile and the account for my obedience, quick learning skill and in particular for the illiterate act. In another occasion, when I submitted change of address form to the bank I received reply, what is the meaning of this process as you have bank cards and Internet banking facility with the account. Unaware of how to convince and in this case when the officer was none other than the Branch Manager, simply I gave an intent look. In response, the manager gave me a sarcastic look for my foolishness and a prizewinning smile on her intelligence. I cursed me a lot why I tried and started to think how to redirect the bank posts.
The second pair of events was with a shopkeeper and mobile service provider regarding mobile connection form and email enquiry. The shopkeeper returned the form when I submitted for mobile connection. He was asking me to fill the part where I had written ‘not applicable’. It was the part titled with "Please fill form 60/61 (whichever applicable) given below in case you do not have PAN/GIR No.". Form 60 to be filled by a person who does not have either a PAN or GIR number. Form 61 to be filled by a person who has agricultural income. I told him that I have already provided PAN and do not have income from agricultural business. But he was persistence that he has processed thousands of such forms. I also took stand and explained him thoroughly why I am refusing to do so. He reluctantly accepted my form. I was happy being able to prevent an illiterate act but unaware of the consequences. I started enjoying new mobile connection. After a week one morning all of a sudden I was unable to call or receive any phone calls. The day was one of the busy and mobile-dependent day as I was expecting a call from overseas, two calls from the event organising committees, two calls from the friends regarding important matters and a call from an unknown courier company regarding delivery of household goods. I went to the shopkeeper. He phoned immediately to the mobile service provider but in vain. The shopkeeper assured me that he will take care of the matter. He also raised a doubt indirectly that it may be because of the unique form with ‘not applicable’ in forms 60 and 61. Now what? Instead of the busy, productive and mobile-dependent day, the day became one the worst and unique by its own way as I spent most of the time inside a cubicle of a public telephone shop for calling overseas, the organising committees and the friends, reaching to the unknown courier company and obviously for follow-up with the mobile service provider. When there was no sign of life in my mobile, in the evening, I sent an email to the customer service with relevant details, such as mobile number, name and address. Next day morning I received reply. While opening email I was happy that the quick reply shows more likely resolution of the problem and was thanking to the inventors of Internet and email. The email was saying "Thanks for your email regarding … ... ... ... but please send us following information.
Customer Name:
Mobile Number:
Address:
… ".
Wow! What is this? I already sent the information. I checked my email. Then I was able to appreciate the company’s commitment towards customers as they were not simply promising but were putting it in practice too their motto of better customer-centred services. You see, what mistake I did, I provided my mobile number first but they need customer name first. You see! When I didn’t have any words to express my gratitude for their approach, I simply provided the information asked in the sequence by controlling myself that by mistake I may write "Please read my email carefully I have already provided the required information". Then I missed even pleasure of receiving any reply of my emails but enjoyed my patient for a few days. After restoring the mobile services, the shopkeeper told me that he has done some paper work on behalf of me but I didn’t have courage to ask what type of paper work!
Appeal for Participation
Please contribute by taking part and encouraging your friends to take part in this survey by writing your experience with functionally illiterate in the space below for comment. You are welcome to write as many as events you want. Thanks in anticipation.
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