Picture this: it's a pre-historic age. The Sun rises over the horizon. It’s peaceful, only the birds chirp in the distance – some are close by. Gorg, a caveman, rolls out of his sleeping spot and readies himself for the day. His glance sweeps across the cave, mentally ticking off each of his family members as he sees them. And that’s when his eyes settle on Frurughz, the young male who has joined his family settlement when a pack of sabre-toothed tigers took out Frurughz’s community.
Gorg did not mind his presence. Not only had Frurughz remained an orphan at an early age, he also had wildly different interests and aptitudes than Gorg’s clan. His hunting and tool-shaping skills are just not up to par. What’s worse, he has no grasp of the terminology Gorg and his clan use to ambush and hunt down a mammoth.
Or, as Gorg would tell Armundzf, the mother of his children, and others around the table at his cave-folk dinner party, over a mammoth rib and some protozoan-infested water: Frurughz is such an illiterate.
For a person to become an active member of society, at any period in history, literacy in a certain number of areas is required. A minimal level is needed to survive in society and higher levels of literacy will result in thriving, not just surviving.
Throughout the ages, acquiring skills has been an evolutionary attribute of humanity and the importance and implications for people, society and the economy cannot be understated. Every technological and social step forward has contributed to who we are today. Agriculture, literature, arts, mathematics, engineering, the pyramids, and so much more, tell who we are, over time.
I am sure that during the age of hunter-gatherers, minimal literacy was about hunting and gathering. Plus, there will have been elements of shelter-building, clothes-making and culture-forming. All knowledge was imparted experientially by family and clan members, passed down the ages by storytelling.
I suspect that diversification of literacy-types will have evolved over the ages, too. Pyramids, temples, colosseums and other ancient super structures remain from a time that was hugely articulate: not everyone had to be a master temple-builder; but everyone had to have some form of literacy for a place in that society. The empires of ancient times had schools for some – mostly the wealthy or of royal descent, like those who became scribes in Mesopotamia – and advanced skills were taught on the job: masonry, shipbuilding, farming and so on.
I learnt a few basics on a Sinclair ZX81 with my dad’s computer instructor in the early 1980s. My son learns everything online, without an instructor
Fast-forward to the year 2000, and 75 per cent of the global population has received some form of elementary schooling, though regional and country variations are significant. Learning has moved from being a specialised on-the-job experience-based endeavour to being an in-class taught undertaking.
This latter approach has lifted the level of literacy that we commonly see today: children, adolescents and learners acquire fundamental literacy skills in reading, writing and mathematics. Specialised skills are taught in advanced learning settings as well as through apprenticeships and other means. However, the core skills that everyone needs are taught formally. This poses a conundrum, because the “core” changes over time.
Along come Generation Z (1997-2010) and Alpha (post-2010) – and the technologies they are native to, and that we older generations have learnt to use or at least live with. I learnt a few basics on a Sinclair ZX81 with my dad’s computer instructor in the early 1980s. My son learns everything online, without an instructor. And I mean everything. The opportunities are infinitely greater today, as are the risks.
The entirety of our lives is online – from memories to bank accounts, to our social lives, our shopping lists and our travel arrangements. It often feels like malicious actors access my content with greater ease than I’m able to myself. This is precisely why digital literacy, while not new, is of paramount and universal importance. This entails understanding the meaning and impact of what we do, should or should not do online and how we protect ourselves and our families.
The race against viruses, phishing scams and malware in general is relentless. As private-sector companies invest significant percentages of their revenue to protect themselves, we need to become as literate as we possibly can, even if we are only end-users and not tech-savvy folks with specialist knowledge. While governments have a role in regulating and policing online activity, it is down to each single user to protect themselves.
And so, we come full circle: we live in a world in which classroom learning is being re-designed and re-configured, moving online and becoming personalised. Digital literacy is more important than ever today and for the future (as is financial literacy, by the way). Should this be taught alongside maths, reading and writing? Or should this happen indirectly, organically, through both official and dubious sources?
I don’t have an answer, but I would dread the day when I am at a dinner party and need to explain to my friends, over beef ribs and kale salad, that I have lost our holiday snaps because I was computer illiterate.
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About RuPay
A homegrown card payment scheme launched by the National Payments Corporation of India and backed by the Reserve Bank of India, the country’s central bank
RuPay process payments between banks and merchants for purchases made with credit or debit cards
It has grown rapidly in India and competes with global payment network firms like MasterCard and Visa.
In India, it can be used at ATMs, for online payments and variations of the card can be used to pay for bus, metro charges, road toll payments
The name blends two words rupee and payment
Some advantages of the network include lower processing fees and transaction costs
Crops that could be introduced to the UAE
1: Quinoa
2. Bathua
3. Amaranth
4. Pearl and finger millet
5. Sorghum
Boulder shooting victims
• Denny Strong, 20
• Neven Stanisic, 23
• Rikki Olds, 25
• Tralona Bartkowiak, 49
• Suzanne Fountain, 59
• Teri Leiker, 51
• Eric Talley, 51
• Kevin Mahoney, 61
• Lynn Murray, 62
• Jody Waters, 65
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
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Company profile
Company name: Suraasa
Started: 2018
Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker
Based: India, UAE and the UK
Industry: EdTech
Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
OPENING FIXTURES
Saturday September 12
Crystal Palace v Southampton
Fulham v Arsenal
Liverpool v Leeds United
Tottenham v Everton
West Brom v Leicester
West Ham v Newcastle
Monday September 14
Brighton v Chelsea
Sheffield United v Wolves
To be rescheduled
Burnley v Manchester United
Manchester City v Aston Villa
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
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Read more from Johann Chacko
The biog
Favourite food: Fish and seafood
Favourite hobby: Socialising with friends
Favourite quote: You only get out what you put in!
Favourite country to visit: Italy
Favourite film: Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.
Family: We all have one!
Seemar’s top six for the Dubai World Cup Carnival:
1. Reynaldothewizard
2. North America
3. Raven’s Corner
4. Hawkesbury
5. New Maharajah
6. Secret Ambition
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
THE BIO
Favourite place to go to in the UAE: The desert sand dunes, just after some rain
Who inspires you: Anybody with new and smart ideas, challenging questions, an open mind and a positive attitude
Where would you like to retire: Most probably in my home country, Hungary, but with frequent returns to the UAE
Favorite book: A book by Transilvanian author, Albert Wass, entitled ‘Sword and Reap’ (Kard es Kasza) - not really known internationally
Favourite subjects in school: Mathematics and science
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Chatham House Rule
A mark of Chatham House’s influence 100 years on since its founding, was Moscow’s formal declaration last month that it was an “undesirable
organisation”.
The depth of knowledge and academics that it drew on
following the Ukraine invasion had broadcast Mr Putin’s chicanery.
The institute is more used to accommodating world leaders,
with Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher among those helping it provide
authoritative commentary on world events.
Chatham House was formally founded as the Royal Institute of
International Affairs following the peace conferences of World War One. Its
founder, Lionel Curtis, wanted a more scientific examination of international affairs
with a transparent exchange of information and ideas.
That arena of debate and analysis was enhanced by the “Chatham
House Rule” states that the contents of any meeting can be discussed outside Chatham
House but no mention can be made identifying individuals who commented.
This has enabled some candid exchanges on difficult subjects
allowing a greater degree of free speech from high-ranking figures.
These meetings are highly valued, so much so that
ambassadors reported them in secret diplomatic cables that – when they were
revealed in the Wikileaks reporting – were thus found to have broken the rule. However,
most speeches are held on the record.
Its research and debate has offered fresh ideas to
policymakers enabling them to more coherently address troubling issues from climate
change to health and food security.
More on Quran memorisation:
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
