This was one occasion when I was not exactly censored (as I already knew before I tried to get away with it that I wouldn't be able to voice my real opinion about this issue in News & Current Affairs), but what I wanted to say was that I thought the government would actually prefer the next generation of voters to be illiterate so that they were incapable of reading the small print of what was being sold to them politically. Considering the current rate of literacy produced by our schools, I think that may well still be the case.

You know, the Reading Recovery Scheme, that was going to wipe out illiteracy in the UK, is having its Government Funding withdrawn. It seems that Literacy is no longer such a high priority.

Now, perhaps the Government has a purely altruistic purpose here, considering our children's needs, preparing them for life in the 21st century, when multi level information systems, with visual, auditory and tactile interfaces reduce our need for literacy. Indeed, I can understand that reading and writing may not be of much use to me in downtown Tokyo 2000, but I don't know if that's the reasoning behind the Government's strategy.

Knowledge and Understanding are deeply intertwined with our use of language. When God gave Adam understanding He gave him the Names of things. In a Tokyo 2000 hotel I would still try to understand my experience in words, and even if such words go unspoken, inside my head is always full of them, examining, interpreting, and filing away impressions.

Muhammad came from a largely illiterate community, but one in which the power of language was revered. Illiterate himself, he strongly endorsed the acquisition of reading and writing skills in his community, freeing prisoners of war if they could teach their captors literacy, and the first word of the Qur'an was the instruction - "Read".

Our understanding, even of scripture, depends on our life experience, and the words we use to express that understanding and share knowledge. The quest for knowledge and understanding of Creation is not separate from Islam, but a sacred duty for every muslim, and we want our children to learn what will equip them to face the future, which I think probably includes their knowing how to read.

Anyway, if our schoolchildren wish to become a nation of illiterate Power Rangers, so be it. I don't suppose they'll be any worse than the Ninja Turtles. And I must admit that I believe no Government will ever manage to prevent the wonders of Creation, and the intricacies of human behaviour, from attracting our children towards learning and literacy, however educationally challenged they may be.