The Federal government is throwing $ 261 million into the battle to improve reading skills for kids ranging from Kindergarten to year three. Research shows that those who have not developed adequate reading skills by year three are most likely to eventually leave school with neither the skill or interest to read adequately.
This reading enhancement programme is yet to be fully explained but it will involve school breakfast clubs, after school reading events and - most importantly - encouraging parents to read to their children. It seems a worthy project, but recruiting busy parents to contribute their time will be a daunting task.
In many ways, reading seems to be a case of swimming against the tide - and it all started in 1956 - when television arrived in Australia. In an instant, " reading about events " changed to " sit and watch them unfold ". That same square screened box did a lot to banish printed comics and replace them with action graphics. The direction of attention spans changed again when the " games consoles " arrived on the entertainment scene. Passive reading was surpassed by fast brain decisions and even faster manipulation of console triggers to direct combatants on the monitor.
Today's kids can certainly read and know the alphabet. They need that knowledge to work the keyboard on their mobile phones and computers, but in doing so they have developed a new language far removed from the realm of ordinary people. This collides when they enter the work force and it becomes necessary to blend these skills with the requirements of commerce - and in many cases this is a very unhappy experience for both parties.
An employer considering a beautifully prepared and set out cv from an applicant would wonder if this had been the product of a well educated parent, or possibly the end product of one of the firms that specialise in cv's designed to impress. Few such introductions are taken at face value these days.
The wise will know that kids reject anything they deem unnecessary, and in today's world, reading falls into that category with many. More than half a century ago, many kids simply rejected algebra, but did well in maths and English because they could understand their value. If we are to create an interest in reading, we will need to take a new approach and convince them that it has value.
The world of adults needs to share some of the blame for the changes that kids are inflicting on the English language. We have been slow to adopt the jargon that kids have developed for speed when sending SMS messages, and even the smallest change offends and distresses some who consider themselves intellectuals.
The French have insulated their language from change, but English has always been a free wheeling language that can adapt to a changing world - and that is why it is fast becoming the universal language. More of the world speaks English than any other comparable language.
The catchword to reading success could be an improved acceptance of change. If we study the correspondence from the days of the first fleet we will notice that they spoke and wrote very differently from today's custom. Perhaps the language we older folk hold so dear is nearly incomprehensible to the young of today. The solution of most problems involves - compromise !
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