'Zero-tolerance' for illiteracy

A PLEDGE of a zero-tolerance approach to illiteracy and a promise to improve children's reading and writing were made by the Scottish Government last night.

Education secretary Mike Russell confirmed that an action plan – proposed by the Labour-backed Literacy Commission – will be set up.

MSPs heard an estimated 13,000 schoolchildren leave school unable to read or write properly every year, with poverty a key factor in this.

Mr Russell said the action plan will examine a range of issues.

Labour's education spokesman Des McNulty said: "Literacy should become the government's top educational priority."

Mr Salmond said illiteracy, which affects around one million Scots, was a "huge underlying problem in Scottish society" and has been present for "many generations".

He also said the government was looking "sympathetically" at a programme to introduce books to very young nursery school children.

However, Labour leader Iain Gray told the First Minister that his concordat with local government meant he could not deliver on his education pledges. "We've seen that in class sizes, teacher numbers and school meals," he said.