One out of ten French citizens aged between 16 and 25 have reading difficulties and nearly half of them are virtually illiterate, according to a study published by the education ministry.

French education is in huge trouble, with all the signs pointing to a rather weak system, the study published by the education ministry reveals. Conducted on France’s Defence and Citizenship Day (JDC) in 2022, the literacy test assessed the reading and comprehension skills of more than 750 hundred young French citizens aged between 16 and 25. The results just released are disastrously poor.

The competence test classifies participants into 8 groups: profiles 1-4 include readers with some or strong reading difficulties, while mediocre readers fall into profiles 5a and 5b. Categories 5c and 5d cover efficient readers, who understand what the text they have read is about.

The test results show that 11.2 per cent of young French people have reading difficulties, mainly in the areas of reading comprehension and complex processing of texts. Out of this group, 6.3 per cent fall in profiles 3 and 4, meaning they possess very poor reading skills and cannot understand written text.

The situation is even worse for the remaining 4.9 per cent, as these young people fall into profiles 1 and 2 according to the classification criteria, which means that they are illiterate, that is, one out of twenty French young people is virtually illiterate.

The survey also shows that 3.1 per cent of French young people aged 16 to 25 have failed to acquire basic literacy skills.

10 per cent of French young people are included in categories 5a and 5b for mediocre readers, with deficient reading skills and inadequate vocabulary. They are able to compensate for these difficulties to reach a certain level of comprehension, but reading is a tedious activity for them. 78.9 per cent are classified as effective readers in the top profiles 5c and 5d. This means that they have no particular difficulties in comprehension, and 65.2 per cent of them have successfully completed all three assessment modules, proving that they possess the reading skills necessary to understand a variety of written texts.

The survey also shows that there is a gender gap, with 12.9 per cent of boys having reading difficulties compared to 9.1 per cent of girls.

The study also highlights regional differences, showing that a higher per cent of young people living in France’s northern departments have difficulties in reading. This figure is 15.7 per cent and 13.2 per cent in Aisne and Somme departments respectively, which is worse than the national average. The percentage of young people with reading difficulties ranges between 6 and 15.5 per cent in the Ile-de-France region centering on Paris and in the Seine-Saint-Denis department bordering the capital, while the situation is best in Brittany in the west of the country, where the results are better than the national average.

As for the French overseas territories, the results are even more disappointing, with 30.4 per cent of young people with reading difficulties in Guadeloupe, 28.9 per cent in Martinique and 26.4 per cent in Reunion. The worst scores were registered in French Guiana and Mayotte, where over 50 per cent of the young people struggle with reading difficulties (51.8 and 55.7 per cent respectively).

However, it is not only the French who face problems, student performance is deteriorating also in Germany, as V4NA reported earlier. A study showed that students’ performance outcome has been on the decline for several years, with German school children achieving poorer and poorer results, particularly in mathematics and German language. Test results in mathematics show that pupils are behind their studies with one academic year. 22 per cent of the fourth-graders were in a so-called “risk group” in mathematics in 2021, a two-fold increase since 2011. The risk group is the smallest in Bavaria with 13 per cent and the largest in Bremen with 35 per cent.

Experts warn of the long-term negative effects, pointing out that the primary school students who fail to acquire necessary basic skills and have difficulties with reading, understanding, counting and writing will experience problems as they progress with their studies, up to the school leaving examination and probably also in life. This is worrying because in the era of labour and skills shortages, society depends more than ever on young people receiving good education and training.