By M.Iveel

We hear almost daily about 100s of Mongolians falling prey to financial scams and fraud, resulting in significant monetary losses. According to police reports from last year, the total amount lost by citizens through digital network fraud surpassed 200 billion MNT. Of this, scams carried out via the Telegram platform alone accounted for 100 billion MNT. This raises the question: why do people believe they can earn a 50 percent profit in just a single day? Educational experts and teachers have begun to point out that this is rooted in a lack of ability to process and critically evaluate information. Many Mongolians tend to forget what they say or believe within a day. Why is it that we cannot come together to stand against social injustice, corruption, bribery, and poverty? Why do we abandon the cause before seeing any concrete results? This, too, can be attributed to our difficulty in distinguishing between real and false information. People are easily influenced by rumors and propaganda, often lack independent opinions, and are manipulated by political figures. 

There is a growing narrative that Mongolian universities offer low-quality education. Some even go as far as claiming that it's better not to pursue higher education unless it’s abroad. Questions arise: who are these uneducated but seemingly successful people, and are they truly living better lives? As a result, a number of people have begun to argue that education is not essential in life. However, numerous studies show that students who are actively engaged in school, especially those who pursue mathematics and attain higher education, tend to have better income prospects in the future. Rumors continue to blur the lines between truth and fiction, distorting reality. This again highlights a widespread lack of information literacy, the ability to gather, assess, and differentiate between accurate and misleading information from various sources. According to police reports, numerous incidents have occurred where children and teenagers, particularly middle and high school students, become overwhelmed by the chaotic flow of information on the internet and end up making harmful decisions. For instance, many young people fall victim to online crimes simply because they lack the ability to critically evaluate information or distinguish right from wrong. At the very least, they should be aware not to share personal details or photos with strangers online, yet they often fail to recognize the risks involved. One mother recounted on her personal blog how she was shocked when her 12-year-old son asked her, “How much does a human kidney cost, and how long can you live with one?” This reflects how children are exposed to disturbing content and misleading information online often related to health and are unable to analyze it, interpret it correctly, or make informed decisions. Cases of harm resulting from poor information-processing skills are alarmingly common. Even in journalism, there are tragic instances where lives and well-being have been jeopardized due to the failure to verify information sources. But the ability to assess and handle information isn't just essential for journalists, it has become a fundamental skill and necessity for every citizen. This concern was highlighted by the “Unuudur” newspaper back in May 2024 in an article titled “Let’s Provide Information Education from Middle School.” At the time, relevant institutions claimed they were working to incorporate information literacy into school curricula and textbooks. However, not much has changed since then. Middle and high school textbooks still largely lack components related to information education such as how to access and evaluate sources, spot misinformation, verify facts, protect personal data, and share information responsibly. For instance, the eighth-grade “Information Technology” textbook offers little beyond basic instruction on computer use, software, and finding information online. It does not address critical skills needed to navigate today's digital world. Meanwhile, many countries around the globe are prioritizing information education and making concerted efforts to improve children's reading comprehension and critical thinking skills. We gathered insights from experts on why such education is now more important than ever. In 2020, when the Mongolian Fact-Checking Center was officially certified by the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN), they were interviewed about the state of fake news in Mongolia. The interview was titled “We are going to fight fake news in a country where there is no such thing as fake news.” This title reflects a deeper issue, many people don’t recognize the existence or impact of fake news. To address this, we proposed that fake news in Mongolian be categorized into three distinct types: misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation. Misinformation refers to false content that is mistakenly believed to be true by those who create or share it. These may involve accidental errors, mistranslations, or misinterpretations. In contrast, disinformation and malinformation involve false or harmful information that is deliberately created, organized, and spread for the benefit of a specific group or agenda. Unlike simple fake news, which can often be corrected, disinformation and malinformation are more dangerous, they persist even after being debunked, are reproduced in new forms, and are strategically distributed. This is why, beyond just verifying facts and offering accurate information to the public, we also use technology to actively combat these forms of information manipulation. Sadly, despite our efforts, such harmful content is not declining. On the contrary, its methods are becoming more refined and systematic. It is now often spread through fake or troll accounts that dominate online spaces and aim to influence public perception and thinking. The most effective solution is to improve public information literacy, teaching people how to identify and analyze fake news. People need to learn how to ask critical questions such as: Who is sharing this? For what purpose? What is not being said? Developing the ability to filter and evaluate information is essential. It's especially important to tailor fact-checking tools and education on information manipulation to different age groups. For instance, in English-speaking countries, social studies curricula often include assignments that teach students how to find trustworthy sources, conduct investigations, and make well-informed judgments. These efforts have been shown to significantly improve children's ability to detect and reduce the spread of fake news. Two notable educational programs designed for children are Be Internet Legends (for ages seven to 11) and Be Internet Citizens (for ages 13–19), developed in collaboration with various organizations. These programs offer interactive, engaging lessons that teach children how to navigate the online world safely, how to spot fake information, protect their personal data, treat others respectfully online, and stay alert in suspicious situations. The Be Internet Citizens program for older teens even includes deeper learning about evaluating sources, recognizing manipulation, and responsibly sharing information with others. In our country, efforts to incorporate information literacy into the general education system have been ongoing for several years, yet a truly effective solution has not been achieved. At the center, they have taken steps to promote fact-checking by establishing “Fact Checker Student” clubs in universities, where they provide both training and methodological support. They are also currently exploring the idea of expanding these clubs to include high school students. Looking ahead, in November, they plan to organize a fact-checking competition for youth aged 16 to 22. From this event, they aim to select three to five winning teams who will go on to represent Mongolia at the Youth Verification Challenge, an international competition focused on fact-checking skills. Information literacy is a broad and multifaceted concept that involves the ability to accurately identify, search for, evaluate, process, utilize, and share information. However, many people still associate information literacy solely with the ability to use a computer. This outdated understanding has evolved. Today, information literacy is more accurately defined as the ability to critically assess and filter information, and to apply and share it responsibly in line with ethical principles. For instance, being able to access information means more than just finding content, it involves locating reliable sources and using them effectively. If newspapers and magazines are assumed to be trustworthy, people tend to treat all content within them as fact without question. The skill of evaluating information involves determining what is true or false. Yet, many individuals, even adults, believe something is true just because of its headline. This difficulty is even more pronounced among children. That’s why it’s essential to develop information-processing skills from an early age. By doing so, children learn to differentiate between accurate and misleading information and can also assess the potential consequences of sharing it.

A good example of the consequences of weak information literacy is reflected in Mongolia’s results from the international PISA assessment of educational performance. In particular, the reading skills of 15-year-old students ranked 65th out of 81 countries, one of the lowest scores. Many students struggle when asked to summarize the main idea of a text in their own words. This often stems from a tendency to either take information literally or fail to process it at all. For example, if a text says “Dorj planted a tree,” students need to go beyond the literal meaning and be able to reflect on and infer the broader impact of that action. The ability to interpret information and draw conclusions is a hallmark of an educated person. European countries recognize this and place strong emphasis on teaching children how to process information from an early age. Another important aspect of information literacy is the ethical use of information. This includes respecting copyright laws and properly attributing others’ work. However, unethical behavior is widespread, people often share unverified information, plagiarize others’ words, or use information to defame or discredit someone. Such actions are highly irresponsible and unethical. Communicating information in a respectful and clear manner is also a vital communication skill. For example, when sharing information that may affect someone’s reputation or interests, people sometimes present it with hostility or deliberately distort it, despite knowing it’s inaccurate. Therefore, teaching children how to use and communicate information ethically is essential. It fosters scientific thinking, and helps them understand the value of protecting society and individuals from falsehoods and misinformation. This is key to nurturing civically informed and socially responsible citizens. In today’s world, social engagement has become an important competency. Remaining silent in the face of misinformation and injustice can even threaten one's own freedoms. A clear example of this issue is evident in Mongolia’s low voter turnout during parliamentary elections. This is partly due to poor information literacy, many citizens don’t understand the significance of their vote, and therefore choose not to participate. Integrating information literacy education into secondary schools and universities would empower young people to safeguard their rights and privacy. Unfortunately, this kind of education has not been systematically provided in the past, leaving many citizens vulnerable to misinformation and manipulation. As a result, it is common for people to fall for lies, quickly accept misleading narratives, and ignore critical issues, simply because they lack the skills to question, verify, or critically assess the information they consume. Unlike in the past, when children primarily accessed information through books, today’s youth are surrounded by countless sources of information. Previously, publishing houses were responsible for thoroughly checking the accuracy of content before it was released. But now, the regulation of information distribution, especially online, has significantly weakened. It is virtually impossible to control all the content that circulates on the internet. That’s why it is crucial for children to learn from an early age how to distinguish between true and false information, and how to identify misinformation. With the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence, the challenge has become even greater. In the past, people relied on photos and videos as reliable evidence, but now AI can create fake visuals that make it appear as though someone did or said something they never actually did. The ability to assess the truthfulness of information has become a foundational skill in this digital age. Misinformation related to health is particularly dangerous. The internet is filled with inaccurate health claims, and even scientifically sound information is often distorted. While discussions about technology education used to focus mainly on coding and software skills, the landscape has shifted. Today, new digital competencies, such as critically evaluating information and behaving responsibly online are equally essential. For this reason, it's important to integrate information literacy into school curricula. For example, Finland has already included a program in its schools focused on checking the truth and credibility of information, demonstrating that this issue is not limited to journalism or tech companies, it concerns everyone. Fake news has now evolved into more complex forms, including distorted or incomplete information. Recognizing these types and learning to tell them apart is vital. Thus, it’s necessary to weave information literacy into the teaching of core subjects such as Mongolian language, mathematics, and civic education, using a competency-based approach. That means developing the ability to search, process, analyze, and judge information not just theoretically, but through practice and real-life application. Currently, public school students take 18 subjects under the national curriculum. Instead of adding more classes, information literacy content should be embedded within existing subjects. Teachers should move away from lecture-based methods and instead provide students with a variety of hands-on tasks and examples. For instance, teaching information evaluation is like teaching a recipe, not just giving the steps, but demonstrating how to follow them in the right order. The goal is to build students’ capacity to analyze and evaluate information accurately. Due to the absence of formal information literacy education, people are increasingly losing their health, property, finances, and time. A recent example is the viral spread of misinformation claiming that attending university is unnecessary. However, internationally, a four-year bachelor’s degree is still a standard requirement in many professions. Ultimately, information literacy is not just an academic skill, it applies to all aspects of life.