Literacy crisis grips nation’s youth
AUSTRALIA is facing a “national crisis” on literacy with students showing up to kindergarten less prepared than ever before.
Experts say distracted parents are not doing enough to equip their children with reading and speaking skills and are wrongly mistaking developing those skills as solely the job of a teacher.
Teachers and early childhood educators are reporting more of their students across all demographics are struggling with basic literacy however, the problem is worsening in lower income families where lower education in parents is limiting children’s development.
The National Early Language and Literacy Coalition has banded together in an attempt to address the issue before it spirals further out of control.
It will present a policy platform to government this year which will likely include a call for more monetary investment in the sector.
But engaging your children in conversations more — even from a very young age — and making reading time fun and interactive are some strategies that could help give your child the edge at school and claw back on our worsening literacy crisis.
Sam Page from Early Childhood Australia said teachers were reporting more students were slipping in literacy and arriving at school underprepared.
“We have a nationwide crisis in literacy but also the major concern is this growing equity gap that we have and there is not a lot of faith in the targeted programs to address that,” Ms Page said.
Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation co-founder and chair, Mary-Ruth Mendel, said parents needed to stop thinking teachers would take full responsibility for teaching reading.