Peril of Latinos’ Illiteracy in English Cited

Illiteracy in English limits many Latinos to low-level jobs and poses far-reaching problems for the rest of society as well, a report by the the National Council of La Raza warns.

Latinos will make up 9% of the labor force by 1990, but many Latino workers cannot read or speak English, the report says. “Our economy cannot afford to have that large a segment of the labor force illiterate, uneducated or undereducated,” it adds. Currently, Latinos make up 6.7% of the labor force and 7.2% of the population.

48% Illiteracy Rate

However, the group is disproportionately represented among the population that is illiterate in English. In April, the Census Bureau released a 1982 study showing that the illiteracy rate was 9% for adult Americans whose native language was English but the figure was 48% for those who grew up speaking another language, primarily Spanish.

“The problem is at critical proportions,” Arturo Vargas, author of the La Raza report, said in an interview Friday. “It can’t be ignored.”

The 24-page report is to be released during the council’s annual convention in Los Angeles, which begins Sunday.

Quality of Labor Pool

It is increasingly important that the nation’s work force be “continuously replenished by adequately trained and functionally literate workers,” the report says, adding that illiterate workers “affect the quality of the labor pool and its ability to meet national needs and to support the Social Security system.”

In addition to tainting the labor pool, illiteracy in English “threatens the American political system” of full participation by all citizens because illiterates “have difficulty casting an informed vote,” the report asserts.

Vargas and other Latinos have complained that programs to reduce illiteracy do not encompass the special needs of Latinos. For example, the report says, most literacy programs “are not designed to work with individuals who do not speak English.” Thus, non-English speakers seeking fundamental reading and writing skills are frequently ignored in favor of helping English speakers “who are in search of self-improvement,” the report says.

Programs designed for limited-English speakers “are far too limited in size to adequately address the need,” the report says.

Reluctant Dropouts

Because many Latino dropouts are reluctant to return to classrooms, Vargas said, literacy programs should be conducted in “non-traditional settings.”

The report called the proposed English Proficiency Act “the only proposed federal initiative” designed to help illiterate adults and school dropouts whose native language is not English.

The bill, introduced last month by Rep. Matthew G. Martinez (D-Monterey Park), calls for allocating $10 million from Education Secretary William J. Bennett’s discretionary fund to the effort.