| dc.description.abstract | Historically the focus of teaching reading and writing skills has dwelt on the preparation of children
for school education, that is, the ability to read and understand subjects across the curriculum and the
taking of examinations. Such a focus has left many people with the idea that reading and writing are
important only as far as formal schooling is concerned, at the expense of developing interest and
motivation to continue reading and writing in post school years. However, in the 2i st, century, such a
restrictive focus should be revisited to demonstrate, that such skills are for a life time and their benefits
are immense in adult life. it must be apparent that these skills are necessary if an individual has to be
involved in the process offactfinding, dissemination of information and communication of technology,
economic and social development. in this paper therefore, I highlight afew scholars who have attempted
toformulate models of reading that will cope with the demands of modem life. This is intended to help
students to cultivate motivation and develop a readership culture through to their adulthood. The
paper also discusses different benefits that an individual can gain from reading and writing skills, and
which directly relate to his/her personal, social and economic development. The role of the government
in the effort to cultivate interest for reading in adult life has been discussed briefly too. For their
importance, reading and writing as skills can be chronicled as the gateway to world thought and
modernity through the different print media, and particularly the Internet. | en_US |
