I had a great time at lunchtime participating in a giant scrabble game in Cuba Mall in Wellington. Lots of members of the public joined in, though I am not sure that all the words ” in the scrabble dictionary” are words!
It was definitely a fun way to highlight World Literacy Day, and in particular the importance of funding literacy training and support in New Zealand. According to Literacy Aotearoa 40% of New Zealanders have difficulty with the reading and writing in their jobs. We must address this and ensure that literacy issues are picked up as early as possible and addressed in our school system.
Once again at the event today people raised with me their concerns over the cuts to adult and community education. I have come to the view that this will be one of the most expensive $13 million cuts the government will ever make. Not only because of the impact it has on those who can not access courses, but also the anger that it has created.
There is also emerging concern over cuts to other literacy programmes. Despite the rhetoric from the government, literacy programmes have been cancelled all around New Zealand. Particularly hard hit are workplace literacy programmes.
Steven Joyce has said that literacy and numeracy programmes are “a priority”, but also that there will no be additional funding for them. Eventually this ‘all care, no responsibility’ approach has to stop, and real investment needs to happen.
and what %age of that 40% of New Zealanders have difficulty with the reading and writing in their jobs were educated whilst labour were the government ????
And again – I really dont see the anger in the streets that labour keep talking about with the cuts of tax payer funded palaties and zumba classes.
40% have difficulty with reading. – that is a compelling statement and a wonderful endorsement of national standards if ever I have heard one.
afraid that comment by Monty just demonstrates he has no idea what National Standards actually entail!
As Grant says, this is a false economy if ever there was one. People who are functionally illiterate cost the country money in a myriad ways.
I think Monty is just stringing random words together which superficially seem to have meaning but on deeper examination actually do not.
That is so cool
No government such as NAct will ever encourage learning for all workers; that would give them the ability to understand what NAct is doing to their equal rights. Male workers are possibly happy enough because they think only women are without equal rights and pay equity. Men will eventually wake up to the fact that their pay is not equal and their place in this government’s New Zealand is not equal either. Then, just maybe, they will work with women to grab those equal rights back and not just until the men are equal and then stop as they have done so many times before in the world – the French revolution being the glaring one.
But while this government is in control of our education and our human rights that is unlikely to happen.
So Jum – that 40% of people that are having trouble with reading and writing – all went thru the education system in the last 2 years?
umm – no … most of them did it during labours tenure – and its a disgrace. No point blaming national for that one.
I’m not understanding you Jum
Jum, you have lost me too! Have you ever thought that literacy is more than just the ability to read? There are other aspects such as having reasonable vision; literacy and learning is also linked to adequate hearing. As our child health is at risk of deterioration with Ryall’s change of emphasis from prevention to fixing self abuse.
In addition POVERTY is often the biggest barrier to achievement and national are the only government who are increasing poverty. National Standards are a blunt tool that will be used to bludgeon smaller, rural, less well resourced schools into closure.
I love that, Tolley is taking to the education system with a blunt instrument