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| © Luke MacGregor / Reuters |
Literacy rates among
young people in England are the lowest in the developed world, with many
students graduating high school with only a basic grasp of English and math.
RT
UK report continues:
An
in-depth analysis by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development
(OECD) ranked English teenagers aged 16 to 19 the worst of 23 developed nations
in literacy and 22 out of 23 in numeracy.
The
report, based on 2012 data, found that England was better off investing its
money in basic education rather than trying to broaden access to university.
England
has three times as many low-skilled 16-to-19 year olds as top-performing
countries such as Finland, Japan, South Korea and the Netherlands.
The
study found one in five young university graduates could manage basic tasks,
but struggled with more complex problems.
Some
7 percent of 20-to-34-year-old graduates in English have numeracy skills below
Level 2 and 3.4 percent have literacy skills below this level, meaning they
have difficulty understanding instructions on an aspirin bottle.
“University
teaching gives limited attention to low levels of literacy and numeracy.
Graduates with low basic skills gain modest returns from their qualifications
and will often not be able to repay their student debts. England has a large
university system relative to a poorly skilled pool of potential entrants,” the
report concluded.
The
report acknowledged that reforms implement by former Education Secretary
Michael Gove and his successor Nicky Morgan are expected to improve standards.
But
critics said the report highlighted the government’s failure to improve
education.
The
OECD warned: “In England, the weak basic skills of young adults compared with
other countries can be traced back to a lower standard of performance at the
end of initial education.”
“The
priority of priorities is to improve the standard of basic schooling in
England,” it adds.
A
government spokeswoman said ministers will maintain their focus on literacy and
numeracy.
“Good
English and maths skills are essential to success in later life, and thanks to
our reforms thousands more students are leaving education with these vital
skills.”
“While we are pleased the
OECD recognizes the progress we have made, we are not complacent, and will
maintain our relentless focus on literacy and numeracy so all young people have
the chance to succeed,” the Mirror reports.
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