Underachievement in Reading and Writing Skills and the Implications in Promoting Life-Long Learning

Abstract

The ability to read and write has been regularly identified as key variables that impact education quality and relevance. It is predicated that in addition to being important learning competences, reading and writing are essential tools as they are the main gateway to accessing and disseminating  knowledge and skills in and out of school. When children are unable to read efficiently, the path to gathering printed information is blocked. In Kenya, English is inter alia, the language of examinations, textbooks and the medium of instruction from primary class four upwards. Recognition of the importance of English language mastery notwithstanding, there is evidence that the reality in the school system is far below the ideal. This Paper reports the findings of a research done to establish the English reading and writing literacy levels of primary school learners in Kenya. Criterion-referenced tests based on developed English literacy benchmarks were administered nationally to a representative sample of learners in primary class six. The results showed that the majority of learners had not attained the desirable English literacy competence levels to be able to access curricula of subjects taught in English or express their ideas in writing. This paper will discuss the impact of reading and writing underachievement on provision of quality education in the Free Primary Education (FPE) era. The research project was supported by the Rockefeller Foundation.

Key Words: Benchmarks, Attainment targets, Quality, Fundamental skills, Competences.