This is a topic I am very passionate about. Being able to read is a core fundamental skill which without can lead to lifelong consequences. It is vital that children are set up for success by giving them and their families access to the support, resources and information that they need.
I’ve done so much research pulling this discussion article together and some of these statistics and insights are incredibly saddening. This will look at the problem globally, what I believe to be contributing factors and some of the amazing things that are happening to combat this and how you can choose to get involved!
Please take a read and let me know your thoughts, I’m eager to have a discussion of this topic!
“Literacy is something that opens doors, but being illiterate certainly closes them” – World Vision.
How big is this problem?
The National Literacy Trust is an independent charity across the UK. Their latest research undertaken across England showed some interesting insights:
- Around 106,000 five-year-olds in England in a single year group did not meet the expected level of literacy, but could reasonably have achieved the expected standard if provided with the right support early on.
- 43,000 of those children live in deprived areas.
- Insufficient literacy skills support early on will generate economic costs of around £830mn over the lifetimes of each year group of five-year-olds, or £7,800 per child on average
Let’s let these numbers sink in. For me this research was saddening and provides compelling evidence for early literacy intervention. That a large proportion of children reside in deprived areas is something to carefully consider. As we see the effects of the Cost of Living crisis, should we expect this number to increase? I think we need to ask ourselves why this is happening. What is not working today that we’re seeing children fall through the cracks and what can we do about it to stop this getting worse?
Is this limited to England?
Unfortunately it isn’t. The National Literacy Institute has done similar research across America which showed:
- Approximately 40% of students across the nation cannot read at a basic level.
- Almost 70% of low-income fourth grade students cannot read at a basic level.
- 50% of the unemployed between the ages of 16 and 21 cannot read well enough to be considered functionally literate
Illiteracy has become such a serious problem that in America 130 million adults are now unable to read a simple story to their children.
Similarly to before, this is incredibly disheartening. With what we’re seeing happening in America right now with the issues over decreasing/ removing library funding, should we expect this number to get worse? There are many thoughts going on in my head with this data but the most prominent worry is the potential for an intergenerational cycle of low literacy. With so many adults unable to read to their children, how do we break this cycle?
To be clear, I’m in no way blaming parents and I don’t believe it’s as simple as saying “well, just learn”. I think we need to carefully consider why this is happening. It is not enough to address illiteracy on it’s own, we need to identify and address the root cause that this problem stems from. I am fortunate to have the time to read to my children but this is not the case for everyone and we’ll look into these contributing factors further down this article.
This is a global issue
This is not unique to the West and according to the United Nations, nearly two thirds of the children falling behind reading targets live in Central and Southern Asia and Eastern and South-Eastern Asia. These numbers are astonishing and help build a global view of just how large of a problem this is.
Why is this happening?
There are many potential factors that are contributing to this. I’ve dived into what I believe are some of the biggest factors but I’m also keen to get your thoughts!
COVID-19 pandemic
Lockdowns meant that many families didn’t have access to education and care at key stages of their children’s development. Arguably, this also led to disparate learning experiences due to the varying of quality and consistency of home learning. Parental support, access to technology/ wi-fi and a quiet environment can all impact a child’s learning outcomes. This disproportionately affected children from low-income backgrounds and those with special educational needs which only exacerbated pre-existing learning gaps.
“Children from better-off families are spending 30% more time on home learning than those from poorer families.” – Institute for Fiscal Studies (UK only)
This is not limited to the wealth divide but also dependent on how many children are in the home. For those parents who are able to help with home education it can be very difficult to provide support to children of different ages that have different educational requirements. Add home working to the mix and it’s a very tricky juggling act.
Cost of Living crisis
With bills and cost of goods increasing but wages remaining mainly stagnant, many families are having to cut back their spending to make their money stretch. We see this through further research undertaken across the UK.
1 in 5 (20%) parents say they are buying fewer books for their children due to the cost-of-living crisis, increasing to 1 in 3 (36.1%) of those who are struggling financially.
I think it’s also very important that we consider the mental and emotional toll this can have for parents/ guardians. Financial and work-related stress is a heavy burden to bear and when concentrating on paying the bills it can leave adults with less time and energy to focus on literacy priorities.
Financial stress can also filter down to children. No Kid Hungry undertook their own research which showed the impact of food insecurity on a child’s learning.
Food insecurity affects concentration, memory, mood, and motor skills, all of which a child needs to be able to be successful in school.
Cost of books
Books are a luxury that many cannot afford and with facing challenges to our libraries, many children don’t have a book at home.
1 in 12 (8.6%) children aged 8-18 say they don’t have a book of their own at home, rising to 1 in 8 (12.4%) disadvantaged children. – The National Literacy Trust (UK only)
The other angle is that not owning books (or having access to borrow them) means that there are fewer opportunities for parents/ guardians to read aloud. Reading aloud can be crucial for developing vocabulary, phonological awareness and comprehension skills.
Reduction of libraries
For those unable to afford books, libraries are hugely important. Whether that is your local public library or the school library there are opportunities to get books in children’s hands. Unfortunately our libraries are threatened. 40% of primary schools don’t have the budget to support and sustain a library. This is very concerning and children’s accessibility of books is largely at risk.
In Scotland, two-thirds of school libraries have no budget at all, while in Wales, a quarter of schools don’t have a library. Over 77% of Welsh school libraries are not looked after by specialist school library staff. – Great School Libraries
It is not limited to school libraries, the lack of funding is impacting our public libraries also.
More than 180 council-run libraries have either closed or been handed over to volunteer groups in the UK since 2016, BBC analysis has found.
More deprived communities were four times more likely to have lost a publicly-funded library in that time, while 2,000 jobs have also been lost. This is a huge blow for everyone but increasingly so for those in deprived areas which are already struggling. A lack of school libraries and rising costs of books, the children of this country are facing challenges from all angles. When reducing or removing vital support and access it is no surprise that we’re seeing a rise in illiteracy.
Time demand
Time is another important factor. With school and transportation taking up most of a child’s day many are also involved with school clubs, sports activities, homework and socialising. There are many demands competing for a child’s attention
National Literacy Trust research (2024) found that only 1 in 3 (34.6%) 8 to 18-year-olds say they enjoy reading in their free time. This is the lowest level that they have recorded in 19 years.
Digital world
There’s no denying that the world around us is changing. We are moving towards a more technologically advanced society where we are increasingly ‘online’. I’m sure the vast majority of us have devices at home and with all we could need at our fingertips.
It’s been shown that the most popular reading that children and young people do in their free time is text/direct messages (92.4%) followed by in-game communications (87.4%).
Still, 1 in 2 (51.0%) read fiction on paper in their free time whereas nearly 3 in 10 (28.1%) also read fiction on screen.
Reduced funding
Reducing the educational budget can mean several things. This could see a reduction (or no budget at all) to school libraries as mentioned above. Out of date technology, larger class sizes, decreased staff/ specialist support, reduction/ removal of school programs. The impact is wide reaching but unfortunately it is happening and largely so in lower-income countries.
The United Nations have estimated that 65 per cent of Governments in low- and lower-middle-income countries, and 35 per cent in upper-middle- and high-income countries have reduced funding for education since the onset of the pandemic.
Additional specialised support
Conditions such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, and other learning disabilities can significantly impact a child’s ability to develop their literacy skills. It’s vital that these conditions are identified and the children are given the appropriate support needed to enable them to be just as successful. With so much pressure across the educational system and our healthcare, this does provide a challenge but it’s vital that it is considered and brought into the conversation.
What is being done about this?
Although much of what we’ve spoken about already can be disheartening and there is definitely calls to the government that must be addressed. It is also wonderful to know that many are dedicated to this cause and are not remaining silent to this issue.
“We are at risk of losing a generation” – Frank Cottrell-Boyce, the current Waterstones Children’s Laureate 2024–2026
Charity work
There are many charities at work to combat illiteracy across the board! Through these charities you are able to read more on the impact and importance and be able to spread the word. There are amazing resources, volunteering opportunities and calls for donations to keep the amazing work going.
Global
World Literacy Foundation – working to eradicate illiteracy by 2040.
ProLiteracy – leading resource for adult education and literacy worldwide.
Room to Read – Global organisation bringing donated books to rural communities
United Kingdom
National Literacy Trust – empowering children, young people, and adults.
Book Trust – UK’s largest children’s reading charity.
The Children’s Literacy Charity – close the literacy gap for disadvantaged children
United States
Reading is Fundamental – the largest children’s literacy non-profit in the US.
Barbara Bush – support parents with unmet literacy needs to learn alongside their young children.
Reach Out and Read – provide training, resources, and support.
Volunteering
There’s lots of opportunities to get involved and help make a difference.
For over a year I volunteered with Bookmark, a reading charity that sets up volunteers with school children across England to read to them and play literacy-based games. Online or in person I would use my breaks when working from home to connect with a young child in a safe online environment. It was so fulfilling, so much fun and you can see for yourself on the charities website the impact that it’s making!
There are far more than just this charity alone. Read Easy has a similar volunteering opportunity which focusses on helping adults with their literacy. With 2.4 million adults in England alone that can barely read or can’t read at all, all we can do to help and make a huge difference.
Mobile libraries
In Scotland, we have a Mobile Libraries Day dedicated to celebrating our mobile libraries and the support and accessibility they bring. It’s exciting to see that love has spread into other countries!
Read Foundation have launched their ‘Read on Wheels’ programme across Lebanon, Yemen and Turkey to provide easy access to books and encourage education and imagination.
World Vision and DepEd launch mobile library to give children in slum areas across the Philippines access to learning materials. There is so much happening globally and for many of these programmes you are able to make donations that go towards buying more reading material.
Book programmes
There are so many programmes globally to get books into the hands of children. One example is Dolly Parton’s Imagination a book gifting programme that mails free, high-quality books to children from birth to age five, no matter their family’s income.
In Scotland, we have a programme named Bookbug that gives every child in Scotland four free bags of books as babies, toddlers, three and five year olds. The bags contain books and other resources for sharing songs and rhymes that are suited to their age.
Additionally, there is also The Children’s Book Project who seeks to tackle book poverty and to give every child across the UK the opportunity to own their own book.
Let’s not forget Little Free Library where people can build their own tiny libraries in public areas to share books with others. These libraries are spread out across 128 countries and allow people to take a book, share a book or leave a book. Just recently Penguin Books have teamed up with them to bring 90 more little libraries to the UK!
Additional support
We’ve established that in many cases there are underlying issues which can contribute to illiteracy in children.
Within Scotland, all primary school children from Primary 1 to Primary 5 are entitled to free school meals during term time, regardless of family income. This continues up through high school if you have lower-income. It’s fantastic that we have this to support children in the school environment and enable them to reap the benefits at school.
Recently announced last month, Museums and libraries will soon be able to apply for a share of over £30 million of funding as part of the UK Government’s ongoing commitment to ensure everyone, everywhere has access to arts and culture in the places they call home.
Public libraries across England are encouraged to apply for a share of the £5.5 million Libraries Improvement Fund as part of the Government’s commitment to ensure libraries are able to upgrade their physical and digital infrastructure to adapt to changing user needs and can be enjoyed by future generations.
Wrap Up
There is so much to unpack in this topic. I’ve barely scratched the surface and there is still plenty to think and talk about. But nothing happens if we don’t speak up and raise this to other’s attention, most importantly, our governments. Children are the future of our country and it is vital that we take the steps to help and support all, whether it’s the next generation or the previous one. Be kind to each other and I hope this article resonated and sparked some thoughts.
Very interesting post and discussion! The cost of books especially hurts a lot because even the comic books are too expensive to be “worth it”. Recently, I read an article where a professor commented that half or more of his college class couldn’t read an entire novel, and haven’t ever read an entire novel yet. Hence, they’re unable to cope with a semester class which includes reading multiple full novels. It’s incredibly saddening because the impact is even beyond what we can quantify as reading is also an eye-opening experience which many won’t be able to experience. Reading is radical, where will we be if a whole generation can’t read and is hooked into misinformation? Thanks for providing the options for what we can do to fix the problem, I’ll look for things I can do near me as well.
It is really sad and as we move further and further into the digital age with technology and AI, it’s going to keep on snowballing. I remember picking up a book because I had nothing else to do, and then I learned that I enjoyed it and reading became a choice. But with everything at our fingertips it’s making it easier to do so many other things than slow down and pick up a book. Even if that’s spending hours doom-scrolling social media! So many angles to why this is happening but the impact is so wide-reaching it’s slightly terrifying!