Because computer literacy is much like the ability to read and write these days.

A computer is a very powerful tool that is available to pretty much everybody in the developed world. Computer literacy translates into a workforce that is able to compete internationally from a position of strength rather than weakness. Think about the industrial age, one group gets to use all the powertools, the other work with their hands and hand tools, which do you think is more productive and will result in a stronger nation economically?