Australians spend more money per capita on education than most comparable nations. We should have high levels of literacy – but we don’t.

NAPLAN results indicate one in three primary and secondary students do not meet basic national standards in reading and writing. The picture is likely worse for adults.

The most recent data we have is the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s 2013 survey assessing adult competencies. It found 44% of Australian adults have literacy skills below the “necessary proficiency level for navigating modern work and life”. In other words, they were functionally illiterate.

If we assume 44% Australians adults are still functionally illiterate, this means around 9.4 million people lack the skills needed to meet “the demands of everyday life and work in a complex, advanced society”. This is a national disgrace for such a wealthy country.

Functional literacy is now widely recognised as a human right. When we think of human rights, we typically think of physical needs such as safe food, water, shelter and medicine. But meeting these needs is increasingly dependent on the ability to read and write, for instance through using text-based apps to manage our personal finances, social lives and learning.

Millions of Australians, both children and adults, struggle with literacy.

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