16. Literacy

69.1. This information should be collected for all persons. Literacy is the ability to read and write with understanding in any language. A person is a literate when he/she can both read and write a simple message in any language or dialect. A person who cannot both read and write a simple message is considered illiterate. Also to be considered as illiterate is that person who is capable of writing or reading only his/her own name or numbers, as well as persons who can read but not write, or vice versa. For the present survey all children of the age of 6 years or less (i.e. completed age 0,1,2,3,4,5 and 6) should be treated as illiterate

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even if the child is going to a school and may have picked up reading and writing a few odd words in a language.

69.2 A person who knows how to read and write but at the time of the survey he/she can no longer read and write due to some physical defects or illness is still considered literate. An example of this is an aged person who knows how to read and write but can no longer perform these activities due to poor eyesight. Disabled persons who can read and write through any means such as Braille system for the blind, are considered literate.

69.3 Having described the concept of literacy, the following instructions are given for filling-in cols.16(a) and 16(b). For children aged 6 or less enter code 2 in col.16 (a) and code 1 in col.16(b).

69.4 Column16(a): literacy in Khmer language

The person aged 7 and above should be asked whether he/she can read and write with understanding in Khmer language. If the answer is yes, record 1 in col. 16(a). If it is No, record 2 in that column. If you are not sure whether the person can read and write, you may show the person the survey instruction manual and ask him to read a line or ask him to write a simple sentence in Khmer.

69.5 Column 16(b): literacy in another language

The person who said yes in col. 16(a) may be asked whether he/she can read and write with understanding in any other language i.e. whether he/she is literate in one more language(other than Khmer).

69.6 If he/she says "No", record code 1 for him/her in col.16 (b). If he/she tells the name of a language give the code of that language in col. 16(b) from the list given under the column. If it is any language other than the seven languages with codes, give code 9 and specify that language.

69.7. The person who said "No" (Code 2) for Col. 16(a) may be asked to tell the language in which he/she can read and write with understanding. If he/she says again "No" give code 1 for him/her in col. 16(b). If he/she tells the name of the language in which he/she can read and write with understanding, give the code of that language in col. 16 (b) for him/her according to the same list of codes. If it is any language other than the seven codes, enter Code 9 and specify that language.

69.8 In both the cases mentioned above if the respondent is literate in more than one language, only one language has to be recorded that being the best of the languages in which he is literate.