P15-Literacy Data on literacy provide an important indicator of the capability of the nation for economic, social, and cultural development. Such data serve as guide to planners in formulating policies for the development of the country's educational system.
Ask the respondent the question in P15: "Can read and write a simple message in any language or dialect?" Write "X" in the box for yes, for persons who are literate. Otherwise, write "X" in the box for no, for those illiterate.
Simple literacy is the ability to read and write a simple message. A person is literate when he/she can both read and write a simple message in any language or dialect. A person who cannot read and write a simple message, like "I can read" is illiterate. Also consider a person illiterate if he is capable of reading and writing only his/her own name or numbers, as well as a person who can read but not write, or vice versa.
A person who knows how to read and write but at the time of the census he/she can no longer read and/or write due to some physical defects or illnesses is considered literate. 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.
Persons with disability who can read and write through any means such as Braille are considered literate.