(MintPress) – Nearly half of all adults in Detroit, Michigan are functionally illiterate, according to statistics released by the National Institute for Literacy this week. Roughly 200,000 adults lack basic reading, speaking, writing and computational skills — a statistic adding to the blight of a city that was placed under emergency management because of reaching a deficit crisis that is one of the largest in the nation.
The literacy statistics were revealed in a recent report by The National Institute for Literacy this week, claiming 47 percent of the adult population are lacking basic skills that are prerequisites for obtaining a high school diploma. Even more surprising for educators and city officials are statistics showing that half of the adult illiterate population has obtained a high school diploma.
There are few resources for illiterate adults who wish to improve reading and writing skills. According to the study, fewer than 10 percent of those in need of help are receiving the education necessary to build literacy skills.
Only 18 percent of the adult education programs surveyed serve English-language learners, despite that 10 percent of the adult population of Detroit speaking English do so “less than very well.”
The decline in education mirrors the economic woes of Detroit, a city that has seen rapid flight of its urban population during the decline of the U.S. auto industry. U.S. census statistics show that Detroit lost half its population, declining from 1.8 million in 1950 to just 713,777 in 2010. Twenty-five percent left in the last decade alone.
The rapidly shrinking tax base has exacerbated the budget deficit, prompting the state of Michigan to appoint an emergency financial manager (EFM) to run Detroit until the city gains fiscal solvency. Authorized under Public Act 436, this will be the largest Michigan community taken over by the state.
At the beginning of 2013, Detroit was already running a $327 million deficit, one of the largest deficits of any U.S. city. “The cash condition has been a strain on the city,” said State Treasurer Andy Dillon, a member of the review team. “The city has been running deficits since 2005 … [and] masking over those with long-term borrowing.”
The state government imposed the emergency leadership this month despite a public referendum overturning the state’s power to place Detroit under control of the state. Residents and prominent labor rights groups are calling for protests against Kevyn Orr, Republican Governor Rick Snyder’s hand-picked emergency financial manager.
Michigan is a heavily gerrymandered state, giving Republicans disproportionate say in how the government is run. Despite Democrats winning the majority of votes in state legislative races in 2012, the Republicans managed to hold on to control due to heavily specially-designed voting districts. This allowed Governor Snyder the ability to pass Public Act 436 with little resistance from a majority of elected officials.
Citizens fear cuts and the privatization of social services, education and infrastructure as part of measures currently being discussed by Republican lawmakers.
Overall, job growth is improving, but remains anemic in the Motor City. In March, the Detroit unemployment rate hit 11.8 percent, one of the highest in the nation, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Detroit’s unemployment rate dropped by 3.3 percent over the course of 2012.