What does being illiterate really mean?
A common assumption is that being illiterate is a simple case of not being able to read. But the truth is that illiteracy covers almost all the skills you need to face real life challenges in a competent, confident way. The most recent survey of Australia’s adult literacy levels split ‘literacy’ into four different categories.
1) Prose literacy
This is probably what you have in mind when you think of what makes a person ‘literate’. We’re talking about being able to read and understand books, newspapers, magazines and anything else that involves some sort of narrative or story.
2) Document literacy
This type of literacy refers to the knowledge and skills you might need to interpret and interact with information contained in documents. Document literacy includes every day items such as job applications, maps, tables, charts and schedules.
3) Numeracy
Numeracy is about the knowledge and skills you need to respond to mathematical demands such as working out change, or understanding percentages and fractions.
4) Problem solving
Problem solving is to do with goal oriented thinking. You are literate in this area if you can find ways to sort out a problem or challenge even when there is no routine solution available.
‘Health literacy’ is sometimes considered to be the fifth domain of literacy, and that involves being able to understand and follow instructions relating to medical issues.
Who does it affect?
It is hard to make bold statements about the percentages of illiterate Australians, considering that there are varying levels and different types of literacy. With such a large migrant population, illiteracy is not so clear cut, as many Australians may be fully literate in a language other than English.
In 2006, Australia participated in The Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey. The results that were presented in 2007 showed that between 46 and 70 percent of adults had poor or very poor skills across one or more of the five domains of literacy.
Indigenous Illiteracy
Illiteracy levels among Australia’s Indigenous people are much higher than the rest of the country. According to the
Indigenous Literacy Project, by the age of 15, more than a third of Australia’s Indigenous students do not have literacy skills that are good enough to allow them to meet real life challenges.
Indigenous children growing up in remote areas seem to be in an even worse situation. By year 7, only 15% of Indigenous children living in remote areas are able to read at the minimum required level. For Indigenous students in urban areas this statistic goes up to 62%, and for non-Indigenous students it is more like 90%.
Why are people illiterate?
There are a number of reasons why some people have very limited reading and writing skills. These often stem from obstacles people face growing up, like a lack of access to education or an unrecognised or untreated learning difficulty.
Adult attitudes to education can also affect their literacy. Some adults believe they are too old or simply not good enough to return to education. Often they are not aware that there are education options other than a formal (and scary) classroom.
Many people in Australia have substandard English skills because they have grown up in another country and with another language. Some migrants arriving in Australia may not have time to gain English literacy skills. Instead they concentrate on finding work and earning a living. The same difficulties apply to Indigenous Australians who may find learning English as a second language a difficult and costly endeavour.
Limited access to education is a problem for some people living in Australia. For example, recent data indicates that Indigenous Australian school students attend school about 84% of the time, while non-Indigenous students attend about 93%. This gap widens in secondary school when Year 10 Indigenous students are absent up to three times more often than their non-Indigenous class mates. Indigenous homes are also likely to have fewer books, computers and other educational resources than other homes.
The poor health standards of Indigenous Australians also affect their literacy development.
How do we combat illiteracy in Australia?
The key to developing literacy comes from education from an early age. For this reason, looking at the education system and its way of understanding the learning needs of individuals is essential. More funding set aside for the development of literacy skills in children and young people would be a good start.
There are loads of organisations and charities which aim to improve literacy rates in various sections of society. Adult
Learning Australia is a great resource for adults wanting to improve their skills. The
Indigenous Literacy Project focuses on making sure that kids in Indigenous communities and rural areas have access to special reading classes and books.
This page was updated by kate elise
How do I know this?
Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey, Summary Results, Australia, 2006 (Reissue)
http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/4228.0/
Australian Bureau of Statistics 1999, ‘Australians' literacy skills: How do they rate internationally?’, Year Book Australia 1999,
http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs@.nsf/90a12181d8...
Australian Council for Adult Literacy, Surveys and beyond, the case for adult literacy,
http://www.acal.edu.au/publications/papers/acal_vi...
Bantick, C 2005, ‘In a word, disgraceful’, _ The Age_, 25 November,
http://www.theage.com.au/news/education-news/in- a-...
Beddie, F 2003, ‘Adult Learners Week’, Perspective, 4 September,
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/perspective/stories...
Department of Education, Science and Training, Learning for all,
http://www.dest.gov.au/archive/iae/analysis/learni...
Femail Magazine 2006, Australian Reader’s Challenge 2006, Femail Magazine, 16 June,
http://www.femail.com.au/australian-readers-challe...
The Indigenous Literacy Project
http://www.worldwithoutbooks.org/About/IndigenousLiteracy.aspx
The Reading Writing Hotline
http://www.literacyline.edu.au/about.html
Supporting Adult and Applied Learning and Teaching,
http://www.aris.com.au/ 
