We need a national mission to improve literacy levels in Wales

Martin Shipton

More than 20 years ago I attended a conference at Cardiff University about the economic prospects of Wales.

There were many such conferences at the time, in the early years of devolution, but this one has always stayed in my memory because of a shocking statistic quoted by one of our finest academics in his presentation.

Professor Kevin Morgan stated that as many as 28% of the Wales’ adult population was “functionally illiterate”. Such conferences invariably quote loads of figures, many of which are dry and predictable. But the sheer scale of our literacy problem jumped out at me and lodged in my brain.

How on earth could we improve the nation’s economy when such a high proportion of its people had such low basic skills?

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Functional illiteracy

There are various definitions of “functional illiteracy”, one of which is:” Functional illiteracy consists of reading and writing skills that are inadequate ‘to manage daily living and employment tasks that require reading skills beyond a basic level’.

Another defines it as “lacking the literacy necessary for coping with most jobs and many everyday situations”.

At the time of the conference it was fashionable to refer to the “knowledge economy” as the key to any nation’s prosperity. It lasted a few more years, but now seems to have gone out of fashion.

Over the years the 28% figure has stayed with me. It’s popped into my head on occasions when, for example, I have been confronted with comments on social media where those writing them are incapable of spelling monosyllabic words.

From my observation there does seem to be a correlation between far-right, bigoted views and the inability to spell, although I have no doubt there are also many good-natured and tolerant people who also struggle with reading.

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National mission

It has long been my view that we should have a national mission to improve people’s reading skills. Several years ago I was proud of a friend who decided to study for a postgraduate certificate in education with a view to becoming a teacher of adult literacy. Despite the clear need for such courses, the job opportunities were extremely limited. The task of improving adult literacy skills seemed largely to have been farmed out to private providers, suggesting to me that it wasn’t accorded the seriousness it deserved. Sadly my friend’s new career didn’t last long, as she and others were made redundant when their employer’s contract wasn’t renewed.

For some reason the 28% statistic has been coming to mind more and more frequently. I decided to see if things were still as bad. First of all I decided that I had to track down the source of the statistic that Kevin Morgan had quoted. I was going to call him, but found myself googling to see if I could find it myself.

It worked. The figure turned out to come from a paper written for the National Assembly in June 2000 by a now defunct body called the Basic Skills Agency.

'Major problem 

The paper fleshed out the worst of my fears about the literacy challenge facing Wales. I make no apology for quoting from it extensively:

It said: “We have a major problem with basic skills in Wales. Too many children leave primary school ill-equipped for the more demanding secondary curriculum; too many young people leave school with basic skills that are not good enough for the modern world; too many adults struggle with the basic skills most of us take for granted.

“Many of these adults are parents who have difficulty giving their children the support for language and literacy which would give a firm foundation for their future education. Thus the intergenerational cycle of underachievement is perpetuated. More than 1 in 3 eleven year olds lack the basic skills they should have gained by age 11 and start secondary school with literacy and numeracy skills that are not good enough for the wider, more demanding, secondary curriculum.

"Some children catch up; others don’t. 3. Only 36% of young people in Wales get GCSEs in English/Welsh, Maths and Science at age 16. Others get a GCSE grade in English/Welsh and Maths so low that it does not demonstrate to prospective employers that they have a sound grasp of the essential basic skills. And about 1 in 10 young people leave school with no GCSEs at all. “Our further education colleges are dealing, in some cases, with more than a third of their intake who need additional literacy and numeracy support in order to cope with the demands of vocational programmes and key skills.

"For training providers dealing with New Deal the problem is worse as unemployment falls and they are left with a growing percentage of clients who are much harder to help. Recent national survey work suggests that while 24% adults in England have poor literacy and numeracy skills, in Wales 28% have similarly poor literacy skills and 32% have poor numeracy skills. On average, more than half of these are at a level where they could easily make improvements given the right support.

“Low skilled and 'no-skilled' jobs are the most vulnerable in the modern economy and, therefore, employees with poor basic skills are more likely to lose their jobs. In fact people with poor basic skills are twice as likely to have been made redundant or sacked from their first job. 11. When someone with poor literacy and numeracy skills loses their job, they are four times more likely to experience long-term unemployment. 12.

"Those who manage to hold onto their jobs are unlikely to receive training which would enable them to progress in work. Training is more commonly available to those employees who have higher levels of skills and education.

“It’s not just at work that poor basic skills have a major impact. We also know that people with poor literacy and numeracy are less likely to vote and far less likely to get involved in community activities. They lack the skills and the confidence to take part in the democratic process and in the social and economic regeneration of their communities. They are less likely to become involved with their children’s school activities. 15. There are other social costs. The link between poor basic skills and crime is poorly explored but the facts speak for themselves. 6 in 10 people in prison in Wales, mainly young men, are virtually functionally illiterate and innumerate. Poor literacy and numeracy skills are closely linked to poverty; not just economic poverty, but poverty of aspiration and cultural poverty. “The National Assembly’s desire for a productive and inclusive society will not be realised unless the needs of the least well educated are addressed.”

Alarmed

Have things improved? I felt a sense of urgency as I contacted the Welsh Government to find out.

I was rather alarmed to be told that the most recent National Survey of Adult Skills in Wales was produced as long ago as 2010.

What did the 15-year-old National Survey of Adult Skills say?

It said: “There has been improvement in literacy levels: 12% of adults were assessed to have Entry Level literacy or below, a decrease from 25% in 2004.

“29% of adults were assessed at Level 1 (37% in 2004) and 59% at Level 2 or above (an increase from 38% in 2004).”

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “We do capture information on adult literacy and numeracy in Wales in other ways, for example, through the Employer Skills Survey. It records literacy levels and the term ‘functionally illiterate’ is not used.

“We are committed to lifelong learning and Medr [the body that funds and regulates the tertiary education sector in Wales]  provides support for Adult Learning in the Community. This includes literacy, numeracy, digital skills and leisure courses to support individuals back into learning. it records literacy levels and the term functionally illiterate’ is not a term used.”

On the surface this looks like pretty good news. However, there is still much to be concerned about.

Why has there been no equivalent national survey since 2010? And in terms of the levels of attainment, 41% of the population had reading skills lower than Level 2, below which, according to the UK Government, people “may not have the skills to spot fake news or bias in the media”. A disturbing prospect.

It’s definitely time to focus on literacy as a national mission.