Lost for words?

In recent days i've read in newspapers and seen advertisements for a television program about a documentary suggesting that 1 in 5 primary school leavers cannot read or write properly. I rarely watch the television anymore, let alone the news, but this really shocked me. I am mostly indifferent to newsrooms perpetual splurgings about war coverage, political injustice, and terrorism etc. Its all the same to me, it lacks any real relevance to my life and it's all been said before. The Iraq war to me is just a broken record, a bad one at that. Like a dexy's midnight runner's 12" with a huge gorge violating its intricate groove. This hit a nerve almost as much as someone who suddenly decided to play me the glitched record would.

As an English literature student the idea of being illiterate scares me more than anything else. I value my comprehension and utilisation of the English language more than any other of my character traits and find it difficult to comprehend life without it. Maybe i'm too far removed from the norm, but not being able to appreciate the beauty in language, expression and communication for me is just too unbelievable to imagine. Beginning life without the possibility of appreciating the allure of poetry, or communicating with people in a way in which is higher than a basic level must instantly set one back indefinately and quite simply prevent any possible social mobility. Almost supergluing one into their 7th floor council flat to once again begin the tragic cycle. A "Tragedy" is exactly the correct description in my eyes. But I don't believe its the educational institutions which is to blame which seems to be suggested everywhere, schools have curriculum, offsted, and of course educators are instinctively convicted to try to teach and nurture. You just wouldn't bother to become a teacher if this ethic did not sit well with your soul.

It's the parents. You cant force a child to learn, it needs to have the right receptive mindset otherwise its just as good as teaching a brick wall about the transcendental quality of Yeats' poetry- only this would probably come to a higher degree of fruition. It's the responsibility of the parents to provide encouragement for learning and teach the values of commitment, in a time in which these children need a figure of leadership and direction their parents are the only ones who can set the correct example. From what I witness and overhear just walking to and from destinations during the day I really do fear for the future of these kids. Do they even have any glint of hope?