Push to tackle adult illiteracy from birth

More than 40 per cent of Australians struggle with literacy yet there is no national strategy to boost crucial early language skills. A coalition of experts asks: why not?

By adulthood, 44 per cent of Australians are classed as functionally illiterate, with three-quarters of employers claiming it was an issue in the workplace.

Unacceptably high illiteracy rates across the Australian population have sparked calls for a nationwide strategy to fix the problem, including greater support for families to foster children’s early language development.

More that one in five children start primary school already behind in language skills, according to a coalition of health and education experts, which has urged the federal government to adopt a national early literacy strategy.

By adulthood, 44 per cent of Australians are classed as functionally illiterate, with three-quarters of employers claiming it was an issue in the workplace.

“Alarmingly, research shows that children who start school behind their peers often stay behind,” said Sue McKerracher, chair of the National Early Language and Literacy Coalition, which launched its proposed nat­ional strategy on Wednesday. “The consequences of this may be seen years later in the workforce and in poor health outcomes.”

Maternal and child health providers, community and welfare services, early childhood education, libraries and other specialists would work together to support families in regards to children’s language and literacy development.

According to the NELLC, 22.7 per cent of children are not developmentally on track by the time they start school, with 8 per cent having a limited command of language.

Those children are more than three times likely to score poorly for literacy skills at 10.

The coalition, whose members comprise the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Early Childhood Australia, Speech Pathology Australia and The Smith Family, cites international evidence on the importance of reading with children from birth, quality early education and explicit instruction in early reading skills, such as letter-sound recognition, when combined with play-based activities in a preschool setting. It also highlights the challenges facing children raised in low socio-economic situations, who were more likely to present with language and early literacy difficulties, suggesting greater investment in parenting programs and access to books.

Coinciding with International Literacy Day, the launch comes amid an overhaul of the Australian curriculum that aims to tackle concerns about declining education outcomes. Several jurisdictions, such as SA, WA and NSW, have been shifting towards more structured literacy teaching, with a focus on phonics skills.

La Trobe University Science of Language and Reader Lab co-founder Tanya Serry said Australia lacked a co-ordinated literacy strategy targeting children prior to compulsory schooling, which was a concern because “this is the critical stage when foundations of these skills are established”.