I'm equally discouraged by illiteracy and also observe that the illiterate are also the most poorly informed and so the most deluded.

However, like commenters MarnitaSpeaks and Lorna Blackburn and having worked with humanitarian organizations and been a parent, I know that your level of education is partly due to your parents and their choices.

If parents are working too many jobs or are uneducated themselves and never learned the value of education, they aren't likely to communicate its value or facilitate their kids' progress and accomplishments.

And of course we don't all value education like it seemed we once did, and make the jobs of teachers less fulfilling and respected.