Bishop blames union for literacy shortfall

Julie Bishop says that improving literacy and numeracy at all levels of the schools system was her passion and a top priority.

HOWARD government education minister Julie Bishop says that improving literacy and numeracy at all levels of the schools system was her passion and a top priority.

And Ms Bishop last night blamed union interference and Labor cuts to programs for the damningly poor national performance on numeracy and literacy revealed by The Weekend Australian.

Eminent literacy researchers prompted a national inquiry into the poor teaching of reading when they wrote to the then education minister Brendan Nelson in 2004. Last week they renewed their calls for a vast shake-up at all levels of teacher training.

Their concern was aroused by the results of the international Progress in Reading Literacy study tests revealing that nearly 25 per cent of Year 4 children in Australia failed to meet the standard of reading for their age.

In 2004, after receiving the original letter from the group of educators, scientists and clinicians, the Howard government commissioned an independent study which confirmed the concerns.

Dr Nelson told The Australian last week that he would have made improvements in literacy his top priority but he'd been moved on to become defence minister.

Ms Bishop took over the education portfolio.

The now deputy Liberal leader and foreign affairs spokeswoman said much of what the Coalition tried to do, including its program of $700 vouchers to cover the cost of extra tuition for struggling students, was dismantled by the Labor government.

"They were fantastic," Ms Bishop said.

"Kids could have private tuition after hours to raise standards. But the unions hated them because it involved the private sector."

Ms Bishop said the education unions were strongly opposed to many of the changes.

"The education unions refuse to take responsibility for the role they played in undermining the efforts of the Howard government to promote higher standards of teaching in schools.

"Everything we tried to do they would take as a direct attack on teachers whereas what we were trying to do was improve the standard of teaching."

Ms Bishop said state Labor governments' education ministers were in thrall to the education unions.

She said she'd planned to introduce more measures in 2007.

"But of course we lost government."