Four in 10 dutch 15-year-olds lack basic reading skills as literacy decline deepens

THE HAGUE--Nearly four in every 10 Dutch 15-year-olds do not have the minimum reading proficiency considered necessary to fully participate in society, according to the latest international PISA results, deepening concerns over declining literacy levels in the Netherlands.

More than 39 percent of Dutch students assessed fell below the minimum reading level, compared with approximately 33 percent in the previous PISA assessment in 2022. The latest results show that reading performance has continued to decline even after the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic ended.

Approximately 760,000 students from 91 countries participated in the Programme for International Student Assessment, including about 6,600 students from the Netherlands. PISA assesses the knowledge and skills of 15-year-olds and is conducted periodically across participating education systems.

The Netherlands has experienced a particularly steep decline in reading. DutchNews reported that the country's reading score fell from 503 points in 2015 to 441 in the latest assessment, including an 18-point decline since 2022. The average among 14 European countries used for long-term comparison was 464 points.

A decline of approximately 20 PISA points is considered roughly equivalent to one year of educational development. On that basis, the decline since 2015 represents close to three years of lost ground in reading performance.

The results are particularly significant because reading proficiency is not limited to performance in the classroom. Strong literacy skills affect a person's ability to understand information, function independently, participate in the workforce and manage everyday responsibilities.

The problem also extends well beyond school-age children.

Stichting Lezen en Schrijven, an organization focused on improving basic skills in the Netherlands, estimates that approximately three million people between the ages of 16 and 75 have difficulty with reading, writing and/or arithmetic, representing roughly one in five people in that age group. Many also struggle with digital skills.

“Three million people between the ages of 16 and 75 have difficulty with reading, writing, or arithmetic,” Hanneke Propitius, Director of Stichting Lezen en Schrijven, told RTL.

“That is also called low literacy. We prefer to speak of difficulty with basic skills. Because reading, writing, and arithmetic are needed for many things in daily life - and at work. Think of understanding workplace safety rules or the instructions on the medicine you have to take,” Propitius said.

Stichting Lezen en Schrijven has warned that limited basic skills can affect employment opportunities, financial independence, health and people's ability to use computers and smartphones. The organization stresses that people with low literacy are not necessarily unable to read or write, but may lack the level of proficiency needed to fully function in modern society.

The Dutch results are part of a wider international decline in reading performance, but the deterioration in the Netherlands has been more pronounced. Dutch students continue to perform comparatively better in mathematics, although scores have also declined there, while science performance has fallen to around the OECD average.

Researchers have continued examining the reasons behind the decline. Earlier explanations focused heavily on pandemic-related school closures, but continued deterioration after schools returned to normal has raised questions about other factors affecting students' ability and willingness to read.

Increasing use of smartphones, social media and other digital technology is among the issues researchers are examining. DutchNews reported that researchers have pointed to possible links between heavy smartphone use and weaker educational outcomes, although technology is not being presented as the sole explanation for falling literacy.

The Dutch government has acknowledged the seriousness of the trend. Junior Education Minister Judith Thielen has said an action plan will be introduced aimed at reversing the decline in literacy, with the government seeking measurable improvement in coming years.

The latest findings add urgency to a broader debate in the Netherlands about strengthening reading, writing, numeracy and digital skills from childhood through adulthood, particularly as increasingly complex workplaces and public services require people to understand and act on written and digital information.

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