Labour’s Literacy Commission reported in January this year and Mike Russell, the SNP's Education Secretary promised Parliament during the debate on its findings that he would bring forward a Literacy Action Plan. However eight months on - despite the overwhelming vote in the Scottish Parliament in favour of such a plan being brought forward - nothing has been forthcoming so far from the Scottish Government.
The Literacy Commission found that almost one million Scots have difficulties with literacy and every year nearly 1 in 5 children leave primary school not able to read and write to the basic standard. The Commission’s report called for a zero tolerance approach to tackle the problem of illiteracy and made a number of clear recommendations.
It is a bitter disappointment on International Literacy Day that despite repeated promises by Michael Russell no Literacy Action Plan has been brought forward. The Literacy Commission’s report was a wake-up call for Scotland. Eight months after the Literacy Commission Report and Labour’s debate on the report we’ve seen nothing from Mr Russell’s department. Every child in Scotland deserves the tools for future success and eradicating illiteracy is the vital first step in providing these basis skills. Mr Russell appears to think that the problem of illiteracy will be resolved by the Curriculum for Excellence. But if, as the Minister claims, the new Curriculum has been running effectively in Scottish primary schools for years what additional steps is he taking to prevent 13,000 children leaving primary school every year unable to read and write effectively? The truth is that specialist learning support is being removed from schools up and down the country as a result of SNP policies, making the job of classroom teachers more difficult.