A recent report on the District of Columbia showed that about one-third of people living in Washington, D.C. are functionally illiterate compared with about one-fifth in the whole U.S. The study conducted by the State Education Agency under the U.S. Department of Education was part of the four-year adult literacy program of Washington D.C. Mayor Anthony Wiliams. The mayor’s $4 million-program aims to provide federal funds for literacy services.
Functional illiteracy means people have difficulty doing things like understanding bus schedules, reading maps and filling out job applications. The high illiteracy level was caused by the growing number of Hispanic and Ethiopian immigrants who are not proficient in English. The district’s rate was 36 percent while the entire nation’s rate was 21 percent.
The study found that adults aged 65 years old and above had the lowest literacy score among the groups covered. The District of Columbia Chamber of Commerce also said that the city of Washington lost up to $107 million in taxes each year between 2000 and 2005 due to a lack of qualified applicants.
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