Illiteracy as an obstacle to acquiring skills

There is a world-wide need for continuing education in basic skills to meet the changing demands of peoples' lives. Many who may be eager to learn new skills nevertheless lack the basic education necessary to benefit from such training. Many village men and most women are illiterate in terms of a functional vocabulary as well as in the cultural skills required by society in general, and lack the basic training in reading, writing and mathematics increasingly needed by rural people to comprehend official communications, instructions on health practices and information on agricultural and commercial methods.