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The answer to illiteracy might be in your pocket

Sarah Hofmann Contributor
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A new study from the United Nations says that cellphones may be the key to solving worldwide illiteracy. UNESCO, based in Paris, released a report saying that in sub-Saharan Africa, where books are rare, people are being able to access reading material through “rudimentary small-screen devices.”

UNESCO estimates that about 774 million people worldwide cannot read. They did a study of 4,000 people living in Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Uganda, and Zimbabwe and found that a third read stories to children from cellphones, reports the AP.

The UN report finds that as cellphones become more widespread in these areas, there will be an increase in reading material in general, and thus leading to more literacy.

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