Imperial County adult literacy still
a challenge
Imperial Valley Press: 2.20.2014 by
Heric Rubio
When Monica Woo came to the United
States from Korea 15 years ago, the English language was as foreign to her as
the country she was arriving in.
Even after becoming a citizen, it
still took the El Centro resident a run-in with immigration officers before
deciding to take on the task of learning the language.
“Two years ago I went to Korea and
when I came back, immigration asked me what I had to declare, and I couldn’t
answer,” Woo said.
So with the help of Adult
Literacy Services at the Imperial Public Library, she embarked on a mission to not only speak,
but read English as well, a decision that she says has left her feeling happier
and more confident.
With the most recent Imperial County
statistics available showing an illiteracy rate dangerously close to 50
percent, stories like Woo’s could likely be found throughout the Valley.
Last conducted in 2003, the National Assessment of Adult Literacy is a representative assessment of English literacy
among American adults age 16 or older, according to the National Center for
Education Statistics.
During the assessment, 41 percent of
Imperial County’s population at the time was lacking basic prose literacy
skills; almost triple the national rate of 14 percent. READ MORE !
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