Failing Adult Literacy

A recent study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) showed how in England 16 to 24-year-olds scored among the lowest results in the industrialised world in literacy and numeracy tests, coming 22nd for literacy and 21st for numeracy out of 24 countries.

What this demonstrated, sadly, is that when weighted with other factors, such as the socio-economic background of those taking the test, England is the only country in the survey where results are going backwards. Shockingly this means that one in six adults in the country is functionally illiterate.

In recent decades we have nurtured a society where gaining qualifications is seen as important, but is not linked to an increased level of ability or basic skill attainment.

There remains an enormous stigma, especially amongst illiterate adults, in being able to admit the absence of these key skills and then to seek the help they need.

As an adult education functional skills tutor I was keen to witness the commons debate, in which MPs took part in a Select Committee focusing on literacy and numeracy.

The overwhelming feeling I had as representatives of no less than 12 different agencies made their pitch, was that they were all keen to ply their trade, in competition with one another. On several occasions, in response to committee questions, there would be cries of ‘We want to help, but we still have to sell our materials.’ Too many fingers in the pot.

I have long been well aware of the extent to which government funding is available to supposedly raise standards in these key basic skills, but what has happened, as organisations across the country bid for a share of the multi-million pound cake, is that companies keen to be seen to support workers will sign up their employees for courses but with little thought as to the real value; and certainly no allowance made during working hours to enable them to partake in a meaningful way.

I believe, from my own experience, that one of the key barriers to this is the rigid set piece of the requirement to jump through hoops to qualify for funding, which to all intents and purposes results in a tick box exercise. This is not real learning.

In order to learn anything the learner must be motivated to do it; to understand and appreciate the personal benefits the additional skills will bring. It has been proven that good literacy and numeracy is the best protection against low wages, and contributes towards to emotional health and well-being. The connection between this failure and the increasing demand for increased skills in the workplace is a serious problem. As a country our economic future development is inextricably linked to ensuring our work force has the necessary skill base.

Personally, I think that the advance of technology is largely to blame. I have long refused to use a satnav on my travels, as I believe that map reading is a key skill, and one we will quickly lose. In using computers, where once pen and paper would do, the easy option is to resort to the spell checker, which does not take into account the context in which the word is used, and calculators are now the norm for even the most basic sums.

At a local level we can all help to improve standards, without necessarily resorting to official involvement; one example of this is the Rotary Club of Ilminster’s engagement with local schools to assist in reading. Learning should have a practical purpose, and like life, it should be fun. Why read a ‘set book’ if your interest lies elsewhere?  Reading anything must be better than not reading at all.