The Minister of Education expressed concern regarding the percentage of out-of-school students who are registered to take free exams, indicating that it is a sign of the loss of value that the school has had as a result of the pandemic.
The Secretary of State, Marco Antonio Ávila, participated in the launch of the network “For a Chile that Reads”, a public-private alliance sponsored by the Ministry of Education, which seeks to reactivate reading in all schools in the country where he expressed concern regarding the increase in unschooled students.
More than 100 civil society organizations and universities are part of this alliance – sponsored by the Ministry of Education – which aims to strengthen and reactivate the reading skills of all students in the school system following the pandemic.
“Por Un Chile que Lee”, seeks to raise awareness among families through messages on social networks, to promote reading at home, as a way to support the learning work of their sons and daughters.
The dean of the University of Chile, Alejandra Misala, pointed out that this is a task of the greatest urgency, which was increased by the pandemic, and that today is reflected by low attendance and disengagement, both in the school sector as a kindergarten
Carolina Melo, a researcher at the Faculty of Education of the University of Los Andes, said that in a study carried out with 3,000 students from municipal schools, from kindergarten to 4th grade, 96 percent of the boys and girls in first grade do not know the letters of the alphabet, which implies that they are not able to read the books indicated for their age.
But during the launch of “For a Chile that Reads”which was held in the Hall of Honor of the University of Chile, first grade boys and girls from the Elvira Hurtado de Matte school, in Quinta Normal, read a story, evidencing the reading skills that students of their level should have.
In this stage, The Minister of Education, Marco Antonio Ávila, pointed out that of the 50,529 students who are out of school, 26 percent are registered to take free examsemphasizing the loss of value that the school has suffered following the pandemic.
However, reading comprehension figures are low not only at the school level but also among adults, since 67 percent have a low level of understanding simple texts, while a 2018 World Bank report indicates that only 5 percent of those who have university studies have a high level of reading comprehension, a figure that in developed countries reaches 21 percent.
