One and a Half Million Adults Can Hardly Read or Write

The Netherlands has started a week long drive to promote literacy. Despite a long standing battle against illiteracy, it turns out that amongst the almost 16.5 million inhabitants, one and a half million adults can hardly read or write. A study undertaken by Sitchting Lezen & Schrijven (Foundation for Reading and Writing) showed that 70% of the Dutch population do not feel that they need to make a contribution in solving this problem. The former Commissioner of the Queen for the province of Friesland said that during his term he had made a major effort to solve the problem in the province yet the problems remain in many places. He added that it was recently found that 23% of the personnel in the children’s day care centers in Amsterdam could hardly read or write.
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