Adults taught to read

Press, 7 September 1984, Page 14

Adults taught to read

The annual World Literacy Day on Saturday marks a month’s campaigning for public awareness of adult literacy. The new co-ordinator of the W.E.A.’s adult reading programme in Christchurch, Mrs Cherry Hill, hopes that the awareness campaign will increase the number of adults coming forward about their reading difficulties, and also encourage more volunteer tutors.

Statistics place the literate reading age at nine years and a half. More than 100,000 adults need help in New Zealand.. Mrs Hill said that tutoring on the programme was on a one-to-One basis concentrating on the student’s specific heeds and shortterm goals, such as passing a driving test, reading to their children, or a job

promotion. “There is a lack of public awareness of what it is like to not be able to read. You cannot cash cheques without help and you may need to carry your address with you as you cannot write it,” she said. “Illiteracy is more noticeable with increased unemployment as there are not the places and jobs available which do not require reading. “Many firms are getting behind non-readers and giving them time to learn during work hours. Their support is knocking out the stigma of not being able to read,” Mrs Hill said.

“Enrolling for an adult reading course is a very difficult thing to do, requiring a great deal of motivation which means the tutors have a flying start from the

'hptrinninp ” r. r Mrs Hill has experienced ihe frustrations of not being able to read while living in Japan on an exchange scholarship at the Kyoto Industrial University. “Even the simplest of tasks takes tremendous energy, making you think your way round it. “Adult education is giving a second chance at education, or maybe a fourth or fifth,” she said. Mrs Hill found that an interest in reading was not enough to get a job in that field, and so she undertook a degree in Japanese extramurally from her farm at Greenpark. With the qualification, she gained a parttime post at the Christchurch Polytechnic, teaching Japanese, and enrolled at Teachers’ College this year to study teaching children with special

needs. To promote adult reading and World Literacy Day, those concerned with the Christchurch adult reading programme will each make one other person aware that there are adults who cannot read.

Mrs Hill said that many branches were afraid of the publicity as they did not have enough tutors for the necessary one-to-one basis. Tutors were volunteers and were given a 20-hour training course which emphasised an awareness of what it was like to not be able to read. Adult students are interviewed by Mrs Hill and assessed according to their reading level and their specific need. The Christchurch branch of the adult reading programme is based at 72 Gloucester Street.