“Literacy is not the end of education nor even the beginning”-Mahatma Gandhi.

“Literacy is not the end of education nor even the beginning”-Mahatma Gandhi. This phrase emphasises on the fact that education is the process of knowledge acquisition whereas literacy refers to the ability to read and write, which implies that the ability to read and write cannot possibly cover the vast area of education.

Lets go into the intricating details to understand the difference appositely. Literacy is the first step towards learning. The ability to read and write is termed as literacy. Literacy is also the ability, readiness and confidence to indulge with language to obtain, build, and communicate meaning in various aspects of daily life. Literacy comes to a stop after a certain age in life, when one becomes experienced in reading and writing. Literacy learning demands practice and this occurs in life from the age of 5 years to 15 years. Whereas education implies bringing out the best in human beings - spirit, body and mind.?Education is a lifelong process of knowledge acquisition, skill development and personality development. It is a dynamic process that makes human beings humane and civilised. It helps to transform man/woman into a spiritual being by modifying his her BEHAVIOUR. It also imbibes the process of teaching, instructing and knowledge sharing. The values acquired by educations remains in us till the last day of our life. Thus Education can never be forgotten.?

While literacy is a key factor that helps to measure the education level in a country, these two terms are not interchangeable. Thus, although most people consider being literate and being educated as the same, there is a distinct difference between them.