28th October 2011 9:00
By Blue Tutors
A couple of years ago the Public accounts committee produced a report stating that the government's target of 95% adult literacy was wildly optimistic if our education system continued to decline. In recent times the coalition government's attack on education funding has lead to dismal reports of over declining literacy rates, over- crowded classrooms, and a significant decline in the numbers of applications for sixth form colleges and universities. It was widely reported after the London riots that whilst electronics and clothing stores were looted, bookshops were left untouched.
Whilst this observation was met with cries that the rioters represent the ignorant and lazy element of society, others have rightly stopped to ask what this says about our education system. If it is the case that bookshops are ‘invisible’ to today’s youth, should we dismiss them as an unpleasant species of person that needs to be controlled with extra policing power, or should we ask what we can do for them through improving our education system?
This is not an isolated problem; the truth is that many state educated children now begin secondary school barely able to read. With large class sizes, and students already put off the idea of reading, it is impossible for teachers alone to tackle the problem at this stage. Rather than focussing on controlling a ‘broken underclass’ the government needs to address the primary level education being provided, in order to commit to improving Britain’s appalling literacy problem