Transforming literacy into a collective endeavor
Insufficient literacy skills not only restrict individuals’ access to better job opportunities but also correlate with various societal issues, as evidenced by data from the OECD Survey of Adult Skills. Individuals with poor literacy skills are more likely to experience health issues, feel disengaged from political processes, and abstain from community or volunteer activities.
Ensuring that everyone possesses strong foundational skills has become a central focus of post-2015 development initiatives. This goes beyond merely increasing years of schooling; it entails equipping individuals with robust knowledge in essential subjects, fostering critical and creative thinking, nurturing collaborative skills, and instilling character traits such as empathy, curiosity, resilience, and courage. All of these aspects are built upon literacy. Leaders for Literacy Day serves as a timely reminder of our current status and the need for further progress.
Among 80 countries with comparable data, Ghana exhibits the lowest secondary school enrollment rate (46%) and the lowest achievement levels among 15-year-olds attending school (averaging 291 PISA points). While achieving universal basic skills for Ghana’s 15-year-olds may seem daunting, it holds the potential to yield significant long-term economic benefits. In fact, achieving this goal could result in a 38-fold increase in Ghana’s present GDP over the working lifetime of today’s children with improved skills.
One might assume that high-income countries have addressed educational underperformance, yet data suggests otherwise. For instance, 24% of 15-year-olds in the United States struggle to complete even basic Level 1 PISA tasks. The fact that the most disadvantaged 10% of students in Shanghai outperform their counterparts in parts of Europe and the United States underscores that poverty isn’t destiny. If the United States were to ensure that all its students meet the target of universal basic skills, the economic gains could exceed USD 27 trillion in additional income over the working lifetime of these students.
Can countries significantly enhance their populations’ literacy levels rapidly? Evidence from PISA indicates that top-performing education systems, such as those in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Singapore, have extended their lead in literacy skills over the past few decades. Moreover, countries like Peru, Qatar, Tunisia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates have achieved significant improvements from previously low levels of literacy performance. Even skeptics acknowledging the influence of social and cultural factors on student performance concede that educational improvements are feasible. A culture of education is not inherited; it is crafted through deliberate actions.
What lessons can be gleaned from the world’s education leaders? Firstly, high-performing education systems have succeeded in instilling a societal value for education. In places like China, parents prioritize investing in their children’s education, contrasting with some regions in Europe and North America where governments prioritize immediate consumption over future investments in education, leading to financial burdens that hinder economic and social progress.
However, valuing education is just one part of the equation. Believing in the potential of every child is equally crucial. Leading education systems expect every child to succeed and tolerate no excuses for failure. They recognize that each student possesses unique abilities and embrace diversity through tailored instructional approaches.
Moreover, the quality of an education system is inseparable from the quality of its educators. Top education systems prioritize the recruitment and training of teachers, continually striving to improve both struggling and exemplary teachers’ performance.
Additionally, effective education systems employ professional forms of school organization, encouraging innovative instructional methods, fostering professional growth among teachers, and distributing leadership throughout the system.
Remarkably, education systems like those in Finland and Shanghai deploy their strongest principals to the most challenging schools and their most talented teachers to the toughest classrooms, ensuring that every student benefits from excellent teaching and school leadership.
However, it’s easy to assign the task of improving literacy skills solely to schools. When formal education begins, many parents believe their role as educators ends. Yet, literacy is a shared responsibility among parents, schools, teachers, and society at large. PISA findings provide reassurance to parents concerned about their ability to support their children’s academic success, indicating that simple actions like asking “How was school today?” can significantly impact children’s literacy skills. Early parental involvement, such as reading to children, correlates strongly with later reading proficiency and enjoyment. Many forms of parental involvement linked to improved literacy skills require minimal time and no specialized knowledge—what matters is genuine interest and active engagement.
Hi, I am John Smit a Captain in Fire Department City of Newyork with over years of experience in the field of Firefighting and HSE. My passion for fire safety started when I was a young boy and witnessed a neighbor’s house go up in flames along with precious lives. Since then, I had dedicated my life to ensuring the safety of buildings, properties, and individuals in case of a fire and medical emergencies.
