European schoolchildren are increasingly having difficulty understanding written information. According to the latest data, it is not possible for every fourth teenager to correctly convey the content of even simple texts.
Almost every fourth 15-year-old schoolchildren in the EU countries has problems reading and understanding even simple texts. These figures are provided in a recently published expert report of the European Work Program for Education and Development.
In 2006, an average of 24.1 % of European schoolchildren experienced problems with understanding written texts. In 2000, this figure was 21.3 %.
Pupils from Bulgaria and Romania took the last place in reading and understanding of what they read: the majority of the 15-year-old students surveyed could not clearly state what was discussed in the text. Literacy rates among schoolchildren in Italy (7.5 %) and Spain (9.4 %) decreased significantly.
Contrary to the general European trend, the results of reading comprehension among schoolchildren in Germany, Lithuania and Poland improved. In Germany, this indicator among 20-year-olds was 20 %, while as early as 6 years ago, 22.6 % of German schoolchildren experienced reading and understanding problems.
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