We don't need yet another initiative – we need action

In recent weeks, the discussion about the state of literacy in Iceland has finally gained momentum. Tryggvi Hjaltason put the PISA results into clear context: As a society, we have lost significant basic skills in all key subjects, amounting to nearly two lost school years for each student. Íris E. Gísladóttir handed the Minister of Finance a striking report on the shortage of educational materials, and both the chairman of the Icelandic Teachers' Union and the head of the Department of Education and Youth in Reykjavík are now calling for vastly increased investment.

This is a long overdue discussion.

But it is not new.

What perhaps surprised me the most in recent weeks was that at a symposium on Icelandic teaching and the state of literacy, not a single Member of Parliament from the government ranks showed up. Not one.

We are discussing one of the nation's biggest future issues. Literacy is the foundation for children to be able to participate in society, complete their education, and create opportunities for themselves later in life. When a large proportion of children cannot read proficiently after elementary school, we are no longer talking about an isolated school issue. We are talking about a societal state of emergency.

Of course, it would have been good to see better attendance, especially since this is a societal project where we all need to work together; parents, teachers, school administrators, the business sector, and the government. We are talking about our children's future, and that should be an absolute priority.

As a father of three children and someone who has spent the last two years developing new reading material for the youngest levels of elementary school, I have gained an insight into the situation that the numbers alone cannot show.

What has surprised me the most is not a lack of will.

Parents want to help.

Teachers want to help.

Schools want to help.

All too often, however, the system itself seems to lack the tools, the funding, or the flexibility to respond.

Recently, Tryggvi Hjaltason mentioned the shortage of educational materials as one of the biggest weaknesses in the system. Those of us who have been looking at children's reading at the youngest level see the same picture. The renewal of reading materials has been slow for years.

There is something seriously wrong when a small team in a startup company can develop over a thousand new stories in two years, while children in Icelandic elementary schools are still widely working with material that was created long before their parents were born.

The educational booklets Listin að lesa have served their purpose well and still have their place. But they cannot single-handedly meet all the needs of modern children. We need more diverse material, new material, and more ways to spark children's interest in reading.

Today, the Educational Materials Development Fund has only about 39% of the funding it had in 2007. Iceland spends about 8,500 ISK per student on educational material production per year. The Finns spend about 30,000 ISK. The consequences appear not only in reports but in the daily reality of teachers. About 70% of them say they use their own teaching materials due to a lack of appropriate educational resources.

When teachers have to spend increasingly more time preparing materials from scratch, there is less time left for teaching and supporting students. That is neither efficient nor sustainable.

A Matter of Living Standards

Tryggvi Hjaltason recently calculated that if Iceland were to regain the results measured in PISA in 2012, it could yield about 27 million ISK per person in increased GDP over their working life. For the national economy, that amounts to about 14,500 billion ISK.

Therefore, we are not just discussing the state of Icelandic teaching. We are discussing the nation's future income, its competitiveness, and the opportunities of future generations.

When talking to parents, another thing comes to light. Most want to participate more. Most want to read more with their children. But many mention a lack of time and a lack of reading material that suits the child's ability and interests.

These are not parents who want to sit on the sidelines.

These are parents who want to participate but lack the tools to do so.

Therefore, the discussion must now move from worries and talk to action.

Firstly, investment in educational material production must be increased, ensuring that the Educational Materials Development Fund has real capacity to fulfill its role.

Secondly, more room must be created for innovation and new solutions in the education system. There is no reason why Icelandic ingenuity and initiative shouldn't be utilized better when it comes to developing educational materials and tools for the school community.

Thirdly, the government needs to show clearly that literacy is a priority. Not just in speeches and policies, but in funding, attendance, and actions.

We know what the problem is.

We have discussed it for years.

We don't need more worries.

We need action.