In a package The National did about the enormous strides in literacy made in the UAE since the formation of the country, in 1971, one of our reporters sought out one of the illiterate elders.

And, in his 70s, the operator of a pearling fleet says he sees no reason to learn how to read.

Eissa Nasser said he has no need to read, and his situation is a look back into the not-so-distant history of the country.

He is not sure of his age because poor Emiratis, and they nearly all were poor, seven decades ago, usually did not know their birthdays.

Back then, wrote Mohammed Al Fahim in his well-known book From Rags to Riches: A Story of Abu Dhabi, Emiratis did not have pockets in their kandouras — because they had nothing to put in pockets. No money. No keys.

Our reporter, Anna Zacharias, found Eissa Nasser here in Abu Dhabi and spoke to him for a sidebar to a story about how literacy rates have risen sharply.

Nasser said schools were not available, 60 years ago, and his education came from listening to elders.

Wrote Zacharias: “At sea, Mr Nasser used the stars and winds to guide him across treacherous seas from Ras Al Khaimah to Bahrain.

“In a modern society, he relies on his five sons, three daughters and a trusted driver from Pakistan.

“His children help him navigate through government paperwork and bills and guide him on overseas travel.

“Mr Nasser says he does not need a BlackBerry or a newspaper to get the latest news, either: entertainment and the day’s events are found through poetry and stories told at the majlis, just as it was in his childhood.”

He concedes reading is necessary in a modern age. But for himself, he knows what he needs to know, and that is enough.