‘Literacy sets everyone free’: A message To Prison Inmates Who Are Learning To Read via The Spinoff

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‘Literacy sets everyone free’: A message To Prison Inmates Who Are Learning To Read

The Spinoff: 10.05.2017 by Sian Elias

Yesterday Rimutaka Prison celebrated graduates from the Howard League literacy programme, part of the league’s wider work equipping inmates with skills to help them while in prison and on their release. The keynote speaker was Chief Justice Dame Sian Elias; this is her speech.

Some of the earliest and happiest memories I have are of my mother reading to me. She read me fairy stories and legends and poetry and the magic has never left me.

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Learning as an adult take special effort and determination and courage. As adults, we don’t have the structure for learning around us. There are too many distractions. Too many of our friends don’t see the point. So let me concentrate on the point. Or rather, the two points I’d like to make about your achievements. The first is specific to literacy skills, the second a more general one.

The first point is that reading is essential to participation in any society, however small and closed; however big and open. So it matters in this place, as well as outside.

If you don’t have literacy skills, you live on the fringes. You need to rely on others to write on your behalf, even about matters that are private. You need to rely on others too to bring to your attention what you need to know. You get your knowledge through filters.  READ MORE >>