Literacy in Attovia has increased at a steady pace in the last three generations thanks to the Flame Printer and the mass explosion of the scorched word. There still exists some problems of classism when it comes to who does or doesn’t have access to literacy and this changes dramatically from nation to nation.
Claskaria ~70%
Most Claskarian’s who live in populated areas are quite literate. Libraries are free, publicly funded and unregulated. Additionally it is highly disadvantageous in a jungle free-market economy like Claskaria’s to be illiterate and most children are taught by their parents at a young age.
Those in areas of lower population or less industry have far less of a need for reading and writing and often focus instead on useful survival and homesteading skills
Zyclester Empire ~60%
The Zyclester Empire prides itself on its well educated elite and for this reason has three Universities, the most of any nation and by far the most Wizards of educated backgrounds. This image in turn has lead to the culture adopting extreme society value on literacy. This does not mean there are no regulations on tomes and knowledge, in fact there are many, and libraries are quite sterile. But Zyclest is one of the easier nations to bypass these issues thanks to numerous loopholes when it comes to private book sellers.
Shen Dynasty ~50%
The Shen Dynasty though lead often with the iron fist of the current ruling clan still holds to the freedom of information as a key tenant of their society. This means that libraries are unregulated and book sellers are encouraged most of all thanks to few state funded public services.
Zoher ~40%
Zoher has some of the strictest regulations on the distribution of scorched word but also has extensive public service programs and funds many schools, even requiring many children in larger cities to attend classes and learn the basics of reading at least. Their are virtually no book sellers running legitimate operations in Zoher however and this heavily inhibits lower populated regions from having access to the materials that would help them become more literate.
Kingdom of Helva ~30%
The Kingdom of Helva has some minor regulations on what can and can’t be accessed but in general focuses much more on efficiency and self sufficiency. This natural course leads to highly populated and mercantile locations having the most literacy and the rural portions of the kingdom being largely illiterate. The House of Commerce continues to underfund The House of Letters which seeks to increase their country’s literacy substantially but has no help so far from its peers in the government.
Beleg gúl ~20%
The vast majority of Elves in Beleg gúl will someday be literate, their lifespans make it a practically inevitable. It is unfortunately the case that their are many destitute families and non-elves who hold a surprising majority of the population who will never receive education or the gift of literacy. Whether that is because they die in the muck of Vedtir or are simply the “wrong race”.
Ornsiire Empire ~5%
The Ornsiire Empire’s exceedingly classist system makes for both the highest regulations of any nation on the scorched word’s distribution and the accessibility of education in general. The upper class are taught to read, write, the arts, politics and mathematics and it is seen as part of what they have “earned” by their position and title. This makes it extremely difficult to get any kind of humanitarian aid to the rest of the nation in the form of education.