Albert Camus was a great absurdist writer and pioneered the absurd fiction genre. He was a philosopher and existentialist who believed that life lacks meaning, and everyone can determine how their life will turn out by utilizing free will. As a writer, reading and writing would be important in his everyday life, and he was privileged enough to be exposed to literature and receive an education. He is also said to be an advocate for education and its importance. Based on Camus’s beliefs on education, he would view illiteracy as an epidemic and speak out against the injustices of the education system.

             As an advocate for education, Camus understands the importance of having an education and how it improves a person's everyday life. In his notes, he writes that “the purpose of education is to make good human beings with skill and expertise … enlightened human beings can be created by teachers,” explaining his personal thoughts on the matter (Camus, Notebooks 1951-1959 1). Camus believes that education is necessary in creating skilled humans who can benefit society. Learning and quality education act as the gateway to a fulfilled life. It is important to mention the conditions that Camus grew up in. His father died when he was young and his mother survived on a “widow’s pension and meagre wages,” (Roberts et al. 1). He was then given the opportunity to receive an education from a “dedicated teacher” and won a scholarship to a secondary school and was able to attend a university (1). Based on his background and struggle towards receiving an education, he would feel more sympathy towards minority students who lack the proper educational resources based on underfunding.

             In Camus’s writings, he alludes to the importance of being educated. In The Plague, a town is hit with a plague, leaving its residents scared and unprepared to deal with the situation. However, Dr. Rieux is well-educated and understands the urgency of the plague. In a town meeting, he states that "when a microbe, […] after a short intermission can quadruple in three days' time the volume of the spleen, […] a policy of wait-and-see is, to say the least of it, unwise,” to the committee (Camus, The Plague 24). Throughout the story, Dr. Rieux is the only person educated on the plague and thus proves to have an advantage in surviving the epidemic. If Rieux were not educated, half the town would die. Rieux as a character proves the importance of education in Camus’s eyes, and its possible advantage to survival. Later in the book, Camus announces that “the evil that is in the world always comes of ignorance, and good intentions may do as much harm as malevolence, if they lack understanding,” implying that the spread of the plague is due to people’s ignorance of the disease (64). He believes that ignorance in the world, no matter the intentions, is always the root of evil. If we live in a world of ignorant, uneducated people because government systems do not provide equal education, we will live in a world of evil. Based on Camus’s writing, it can be concluded that he believes illiteracy and lack of education is a dangerous epidemic.

            As an existentialist, though he would never label himself as one, Camus believed that it was up to everyone to create their own meaning in life. In his story The Rebel, he makes claims about personal freedoms and how “freedom is nothing but a chance to be better, whereas enslavement is a certainty of the worst,” (Camus, The Rebel 1). Freedom to education is a human right and allows us to become better people, however, if a person is “enslave[ed]” by economic barriers or barriers from prejudices, they will be trapped and not have the advantage to grow. Education should be a personal freedom awarded to everyone because it allows for “a chance to be better,” without literacy society would not prosper (1). Camus believed that “to create is likewise to give a shape to one’s fate,” and thus give life meaning (Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus 1). Camus would argue that education is a factor in creating one’s fate. If one is fortunate enough to receive the resources required for an education, a person can choose to take advantage of them, but if you do not, you are creating a poor fate for yourself. Camus would fight for equal education as a human right that could help develop a person’s fate or meaning.        

            Camus was also a philosopher who believed that trying to understand the world was useless. He often asked and explored questions about suicide among other topics. He felt strongly about making the world a better place however and believed that “real generosity toward the future lies in giving all to the present,” including giving the people around us education (Camus, The Rebel 1).  Camus says that society can make the future better by doing all we can now, and he would agree that a generous act now would be to fight for equal education for all children in our country. By giving children literacy skills and a promising education, we set them up for success. Camus also may argue that curriculum providers and government officials may need to take a step back and review the issues regarding illiteracy because “in order to understand the world, one has to turn away from it on occasion,” (Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus 1). It is important that as good humans, we understand the long-lasting effects of poor education and understand what is happening without the opinion of others. As a philosopher, Albert Camus would believe illiteracy is an epidemic, a fight for an increase in quality education.

            Albert Camus believed that life is absurd and the attempt to find meaning is even more absurd, however, that does not mean that people who are fortunate enough should not utilize their “chance to be better,” and become educated (Camus, The Rebel 1). Because of his morals, Camus would fight for literacy equality and education for every child. He believed that education and literacy are the backbone of society and create good people. With the freedom to achieve anything, people should use their free will for good and to help others gain the ability to become educated. Camus would believe illiteracy among minority students is a growing epidemic and would fight for change.