Summarised by Centrist
A Canterbury University lecturer, Associate Professor Mike Grimshaw, has warned that universities face a “crisis level” of functional illiteracy among students.
“We are under-educating but over qualifying,” he says, calling for universities to return to their original role as elite institutions rather than “degree factories.”
“Many of them appear to be functionally illiterate going on the incoherence of their written work,” he said.
Grimshaw claims that many students entering tertiary education struggle with basic reading and writing skills. He argues that there is a systemic decline in literacy across all levels of schooling.
The issues are not limited to lower-decile schools or specific demographics, but widespread with Grimshaw stating that the problem is even affecting students from private schools.
Colleagues across disciplines have similar concerns. There are reports of students who have never finished a book.
Online learning, Grimshaw argues, has worsened student detachment. Many now treat in-person attendance as optional.
Tertiary Education Minister Penny Simmonds agrees that the declining literacy and attendance rates reinforce the need for recent policy changes in primary and secondary education.
These include prioritising reading, writing, and maths, limits on mobile phone use in schools, and improving attendance.
