They are 16 years old, are French, but have difficulty reading a text of several lines in full.
In France, the number of young people in a situation of illiteracy is significant: approximately 35,000, or 5% of this age group.
A worrying estimate, published in the recent report of the General Inspectorate of Education, a body dependent on the Ministry of National Education, which also establishes that approximately one in ten young people would experience "
severe difficulties in reading
".
Read alsoSchool: should we fear a shortage of teachers at the start of the school year?
The study points to the lack of support for this situation and the absence of “
implementation of concrete actions
” to fight against illiteracy.
In primary and middle school, the “
alerts
” provided by teachers and educational staff would be “
ignored
” and “
essential learning missed
”.
“Ignored alerts”
Worrying data, but “
constant since the end of the 80s
”, estimates Claude Lelièvre, historian of Education.
"
Since illiteracy has been evaluated in France, the figures have been the same: 80% of readers satisfied, 15% in difficulty and 5% who are totally out of scope
", according to the specialist.
A stability "
both distressing and reassuring: we are not progressing but we are not heading towards a black hole
", he continues.
Read alsoThe very scrutinized first steps of Pap Ndiaye
In fact, in a previous report in 2015, the inequalities in reading level between the different regions were roughly similar to those presented this year.
With 17.9% of young people who have reading difficulties in Aisne, 11 in Seine-Saint-Denis, 4.6 in Paris, 28% in Guadeloupe, 46.6% in Guyana and 71.1% in Mayotte, the gap is not closing. over the years and national education reforms.
“Irreducible 5%”
"
These persistent disparities on the same territory prove one thing: illiteracy is not only due to teaching methods, since they work very well in certain regions and less well in others
", observes Claude Lelièvre.
According to the historian, to succeed in reducing these "
irreducible 5%
", it is essential to understand that illiteracy is also the fact
of "a social origin, a culture, a relationship to writing and fluency in speaking
”.
Read also"
New government: behind the stability, a break in the school
"
However, the linguist and specialist in issues related to illiteracy Alain Bentolila sees in it "
in a way the failure of National Education
".
Firstly because the ministry "
continues to believe that it is enough to find the miracle cure and change the method to solve the problem
".
Then, because of the negligence on the importance of the transition from kindergarten to primary school.
"
When you don't master oral language, it is much more difficult to learn to read or write
," he laments.
Read alsoPresidential 2022: towards a merit bonus for teachers
On the other hand, the specialist deplores the lack of training of teachers in learning methods in reading and writing.
"
For nearly 50 years, our teachers have been trained by academics who don't know what it is to have to teach in front of a young class,
" continues Alain Bentolila.
A finding also shared in the report, according to which illiteracy is linked to the training of teachers, and to a certain “
negligence and ignorance
” on their part.
Faced with this regular assessment, the specialist wishes to alert: “
To be illiterate today is to be credulous and vulnerable.
It is not being able to exercise one's capacity for reasoning, for questioning
”.
“
It's a real challenge,
” he concludes.
Today more than ever, to be illiterate is to be condemned to submission
”.
/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/BJQVNG5SXFE3BFKU4BTTZBO5H4.jpg)
