Low-literacy
People who can read and write a little bit are low-literate. This means that they do not have the language and/or arithmetic level* to participate in society.
*Various designations are used for the level of language proficiency. For non-native speakers we use the NT2 Framework (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2). For Dutch speakers we use Reference Levels Language and Arithmetic (1F, 2F, 3F, 4F). Low-literates are at level 1F or A2. At the end of group 8, a pupil must have mastered at least level 1F in order to be able to make the transition to secondary education. More about the levels: www.lezenenschrijven.nl/eenvoudigetaal.
Illiteracy
The term is employed in a range of contexts and is often used to describe individuals with limited literacy skills, so called low-literacy. It also encompasses those who are entirely unable to read or write, thereby reflecting a spectrum of literacy levels (UNESCO, 2006; Street, 2013). In many cases, the classification includes both the low-literate and the illiterate, acknowledging the diverse and complex nature of literacy as a social practice (Barton & Hamilton, 1998).
Definitions in the WEB
The WEB* distinguishes between illiterate and low-literate people. Low literacy is a term for adults who have great difficulty with language, arithmetic and digital skills. They do not master the reference level 2F of the Language and Arithmetic Reference Framework, which corresponds to the final level of pre-vocational secondary education (VMBO) or intermediate vocational education (MBO-2). This group of people has difficulty, for example, filling out forms, helping (grand)children with homework, paying digitally, applying for jobs and understanding medication leaflets.
For a conceptual framework in line with the Guidelines for municipalities to manage quality, we can also define the term Low-literate as follows: adults who cannot read or write at all or who have great difficulty with reading, writing, arithmetic and digital skills. These are often Dutch-speaking learners, but can also be illiterate NT2 learners. (Someone who does not master the Dutch language, simply because this person has a different mother tongue and does not (yet) master the Dutch language, is not low-literate, but a non-native speaker and (still) low-literate in Dutch. Someone who only has low digital skills or low numeracy is not low-literate.)
There are different numbers that indicate the extent of low literacy in the Netherlands, this is because some groups are included or not and it also depends on what is meant by ‘digitally skilled’. The most common numbers are:
2.5 million low-literates; This number also includes people over 65 years of age and people with low digital skills or only low numeracy.
1.3 million low-literates, of which 65% have Dutch as their mother tongue. This number of 1.3 million concerns the working population, which consists of people between 16 and 65 years old. People who only have insufficient digital skills, but are literate and numerate at level (≥2F), do not belong to the traditional target group of low-literates.**
Source:
PIAAC(The Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies). PIAAC is an international study by the OECD, in which the Netherlands participated alongside 37 other countries. In the Netherlands, 5,000 people aged 16-65 were included in the study. PIAAC concerns figures from 2012-2013. The PIAAC study is conducted approximately every 10 years. The next PIAAC is expected to be published in 2023-2024.
WEB
Education and Vocational Training Act (in Dutch: Wet educatie en beroepsonderwijs), introduced in 1996 and amended with regard to adult education on 1 January 2015. This law regulates the organisation of various forms of vocational education and adult education. (https://zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nl/kst-33911-3.html)
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