Adult literacy and numeracy 'among the worst in OECD': Most cannot understand an electricity bill, say researchers
Wednesday, October 9, 2013 @ 1:03 PM
SPAIN has one of the worst adult numeracy and literacy levels in the developed world, according to a report by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
The average adult's reading ability means they are unable to understand their electricity bills and cannot make head or tail of classic texts such as Don Quijote.
Overall, the country has basic academic levels of 21 and 19 per cent lower than the average for the OECD in reading comprehension and 23 and 22 per cent lower in maths.
Japan and Finland, with 296 and 288 points respectively, came out with the highest levels and, in these and others such as Sweden, The Netherlands and Slovakia, the average A-level or BTEC qualified adult with a mid-range grade – the equivalent in Spain being Bachillerato or its vocational counterpart, the FP – has a far higher level of numeracy and literacy than a typical Spanish university graduate.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com