Action demanded over child illiteracy reports

Published on Sunday 29 March 2009 15:24

Opposition parties today demanded Government action following reports that one in six children leaves primary school unable to read, write or add up.

Labour told the SNP administration that bold steps were needed to tackle the problem.

The Tories called for Education Secretary Fiona Hyslop to appear before a Holyrood committee to discuss the "illiteracy timebomb".

The Sunday Express reported today that the figure will emerge later this week in an Edinburgh summit on Scotland's skills gap.

The summit is also expected to hear that there are 33,000 young people not in employment or education and that illiteracy affects a fifth of adults, the newspaper said.

Labour's education spokeswoman Rhona Brankin today said every child should be leaving school equipped with basic reading and writing skills.

She said: "Children who do not learn to read before leaving school will not have the same opportunities in life that others will.

"The government has to ensure that no child leaves school without basic literacy skills. That is the very least they deserve from Scotland's education system.

"The sooner a child who is struggling to read is identified the better chance teachers have of helping them turn that around.

"A child's developing literacy skills should be regularly measured and action taken to support children who are struggling."

Conservative schools spokeswoman Liz Smith today demanded that Ms Hyslop appear before the Scottish Parliament's Education Committee.

She said: "If there is one thing parents expect when they send children to school, it is that they return able to read, write and count.

"Employers also have an expectation that new recruits will have gained proficiency in these basic skills before they enter the workforce and so these statistics are deeply worrying.

"It certainly does point to an illiteracy timebomb just a few years down the line.

"Something is evidently very wrong and I call on Fiona Hyslop to appear before the Education Committee to explain just what is going wrong in our schools and what she is going to do about it."

A Scottish Government spokesman said that in 2007/08, more than 93% of school leavers attained a minimum level of qualification in English and Maths.

He said: "The new approach to teaching and learning in Scotland will provide children and young people with opportunities to build the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in an uncertain economic future, with a specific focus on literacy and numeracy.

"The Curriculum for Excellence experiences and outcomes, including literacy and numeracy, will be published on April 2 and will set out clear expectations about what we want for all our young people to learn for the purposes of the 21st century in these important areas.

"For the first time, all teachers of all subjects at all stages will be responsible for literacy and numeracy."