A UNITED Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) report has revealed the extent to which the mobile phone is
fast aiding literacy growth in developing countries.
The report, titled “Reading in the Mobile Era: A Study of Mobile Reading in Developing Countries, made available to The Guardian, consisted of an analysis of over 4,000 surveys in seven developing countries on reading from mobile devices.
The report came after a year-long study and explained the demographic profiles, habits, and preferences of mobile readers of seven countries — Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan and Zimbabwe.
It is interesting to note that in Nigeria, there are currently about 130 million active mobile telephone lines, while about 155 million are connected, with over 90 per cent teledensity.
The number of Internet users through the GSM platform in the country is currently firm at 63 million, with Nigeria controlling 29 per cent of Africa’s Internet penetration.
According to UNESCO, which carried out the study in collaboration with Worldreader and Nokia found out that quite often, in places where physical books are scarce, mobile phones are plentiful, stressing that even while mobile phones are still used primarily for basic communication, even the simplest of phones are a gateway to long-form text.
UNESCO acknowledged that the inability to read from books are “receding” due to the spread of inexpensive mobile technology, saying that mobile phones have paved the way for “new, affordable, and easy-to-use” methods to reading materials.
The UNESCO report added that the Internet has “accelerated” the spread of information and “democratized” access to it. With the addition of digital networks, computer processors, and liquid crystal display (LCD) screen, the production costs of reading materials have decreased.
Director of Digital Publishing and Mobile Platforms at Worldreader, Elizabeth Hensick Wood, “we now have two years of data proving that people are spending hundreds of hours a month reading short and long form text, using basic feature and Android phones.
“As part of this research, we interviewed dozens of individuals, ranging from students to teachers to parents, and all told a similar story: they do not have access to paper books, they are thrilled to now have thousands of free books on their mobile phones and they are now reading more than ever.”
The study discovered that women and girls in particular are benefitting from having a new way to access books, reading up to six times more than men and boys, and that parents regularly read to children using mobile phones.
Besides, the study also showed that a vast majority of people enjoy reading more on their mobile phones, and that mobile reading often reverses people’s negative attitudes towards reading.
Contrary to what many may think, only 18 per cent of the respondents cited cost, or “use of airtime,” as a potential barrier to reading more on mobiles. This is likely due to platforms such as the Worldreader Mobile platform on biNu, which compresses data and brings the cost of reading to roughly 2-3 cents per every 1,000 pages read. Instead, lack of relevant content was cited as the number one barrier to mobile reader adoption by 60 per cent of the respondents.
The UNESCO report disclosed that despite the positive efforts, gaps still exist. According to the UN body, 40 per cent of the world’s population has Internet access, stressing that among developing countries, 16 per cent fewer woman use the Internet than men.
In Africa, the study said seven per cent of households have connections to the Internet, which is a significant drop compared to European household with 77 per cent connectivity.
According to the UN report, “the question remains: How do we bring text to the unreached? How do we make reading material accessible to, say, a girl from a poor family in the northeast of Ethiopia where over 50 per cent of her female peers will never go to school? How do we provide text to young people in remote Pakistani villages, or adults living in slums outside Rio de Janeiro? What mechanisms exist to get books into the hands of the poorest people on Earth?”
A mobile device, especially phones, was the immediate answer to UNESCO’s own question. U.N. data stated six billion of the seven billion populating Earth have access to functioning mobile phones.
Referenced as a “gateway to long-form text,” mobile phones can access the same book for a fraction of a physical book’s price.
With over 4,000 people across Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan and Zimbabwe surveyed, respondents were asked if and how reading on mobile devices changed their habits or attitudes towards reading, what they wanted to read, what enables them to continue reading, and what were central barriers to mobile reading.
The U.N. organization learned that more people read on mobile devices. The study showed more people read books and stories to children from the mobile devices. The study also stated that governments should take a lesson on the impact and expansion of mobile technology rather than traditional paper-based technology.
“It is UNESCO’s hope that mobile reading will be integrated into broader educational systems that teach people how to use text productively — from access to comprehension, and all the stages in between,” the report added.
The study noted that indeed, UNESCO does recognize that the expansion of mobile devices may not immediately solve illiteracy, but can help provide people the tools to enhance and sustain their literacy skills.
“[Mobile devices] can help people find good books and, gradually, cultivate a love of reading along with the myriad advantages that portends — educationally, socially and economically.”
To the UNESCO author of the report, Mark West, “a key conclusion from this study is that mobile devices can help people develop, sustain and enhance their literacy skills. This is important because literacy opens the door to life-changing opportunities and benefit.”
The report, titled “Reading in the Mobile Era: A Study of Mobile Reading in Developing Countries, made available to The Guardian, consisted of an analysis of over 4,000 surveys in seven developing countries on reading from mobile devices.
The report came after a year-long study and explained the demographic profiles, habits, and preferences of mobile readers of seven countries — Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan and Zimbabwe.
It is interesting to note that in Nigeria, there are currently about 130 million active mobile telephone lines, while about 155 million are connected, with over 90 per cent teledensity.
The number of Internet users through the GSM platform in the country is currently firm at 63 million, with Nigeria controlling 29 per cent of Africa’s Internet penetration.
According to UNESCO, which carried out the study in collaboration with Worldreader and Nokia found out that quite often, in places where physical books are scarce, mobile phones are plentiful, stressing that even while mobile phones are still used primarily for basic communication, even the simplest of phones are a gateway to long-form text.
UNESCO acknowledged that the inability to read from books are “receding” due to the spread of inexpensive mobile technology, saying that mobile phones have paved the way for “new, affordable, and easy-to-use” methods to reading materials.
The UNESCO report added that the Internet has “accelerated” the spread of information and “democratized” access to it. With the addition of digital networks, computer processors, and liquid crystal display (LCD) screen, the production costs of reading materials have decreased.
Director of Digital Publishing and Mobile Platforms at Worldreader, Elizabeth Hensick Wood, “we now have two years of data proving that people are spending hundreds of hours a month reading short and long form text, using basic feature and Android phones.
“As part of this research, we interviewed dozens of individuals, ranging from students to teachers to parents, and all told a similar story: they do not have access to paper books, they are thrilled to now have thousands of free books on their mobile phones and they are now reading more than ever.”
The study discovered that women and girls in particular are benefitting from having a new way to access books, reading up to six times more than men and boys, and that parents regularly read to children using mobile phones.
Besides, the study also showed that a vast majority of people enjoy reading more on their mobile phones, and that mobile reading often reverses people’s negative attitudes towards reading.
Contrary to what many may think, only 18 per cent of the respondents cited cost, or “use of airtime,” as a potential barrier to reading more on mobiles. This is likely due to platforms such as the Worldreader Mobile platform on biNu, which compresses data and brings the cost of reading to roughly 2-3 cents per every 1,000 pages read. Instead, lack of relevant content was cited as the number one barrier to mobile reader adoption by 60 per cent of the respondents.
The UNESCO report disclosed that despite the positive efforts, gaps still exist. According to the UN body, 40 per cent of the world’s population has Internet access, stressing that among developing countries, 16 per cent fewer woman use the Internet than men.
In Africa, the study said seven per cent of households have connections to the Internet, which is a significant drop compared to European household with 77 per cent connectivity.
According to the UN report, “the question remains: How do we bring text to the unreached? How do we make reading material accessible to, say, a girl from a poor family in the northeast of Ethiopia where over 50 per cent of her female peers will never go to school? How do we provide text to young people in remote Pakistani villages, or adults living in slums outside Rio de Janeiro? What mechanisms exist to get books into the hands of the poorest people on Earth?”
A mobile device, especially phones, was the immediate answer to UNESCO’s own question. U.N. data stated six billion of the seven billion populating Earth have access to functioning mobile phones.
Referenced as a “gateway to long-form text,” mobile phones can access the same book for a fraction of a physical book’s price.
With over 4,000 people across Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan and Zimbabwe surveyed, respondents were asked if and how reading on mobile devices changed their habits or attitudes towards reading, what they wanted to read, what enables them to continue reading, and what were central barriers to mobile reading.
The U.N. organization learned that more people read on mobile devices. The study showed more people read books and stories to children from the mobile devices. The study also stated that governments should take a lesson on the impact and expansion of mobile technology rather than traditional paper-based technology.
“It is UNESCO’s hope that mobile reading will be integrated into broader educational systems that teach people how to use text productively — from access to comprehension, and all the stages in between,” the report added.
The study noted that indeed, UNESCO does recognize that the expansion of mobile devices may not immediately solve illiteracy, but can help provide people the tools to enhance and sustain their literacy skills.
“[Mobile devices] can help people find good books and, gradually, cultivate a love of reading along with the myriad advantages that portends — educationally, socially and economically.”
To the UNESCO author of the report, Mark West, “a key conclusion from this study is that mobile devices can help people develop, sustain and enhance their literacy skills. This is important because literacy opens the door to life-changing opportunities and benefit.”