Senator Allison asked the Minister for Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs, upon notice, on 21 May 1997:

(1) What evidence is there that one-third of year nine students cannot read.

(2) (a) What research has been carried out by the Australian Council for Education Research into literacy and numeracy levels recently; and (b) what are the findings.

(3) When the National Literacy and Numeracy Plan was adopted in March 1997, why was there no mention of the National Equity Strategy adopted by the Ministerial Council of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs in 1994.

(4) What progress has been made by States and Territories in implementing the National Equity Strategy.

(5) Given that the National Equity Strategy requires school authorities to monitor and report on agreed performance measures: can details be provided of the reports prepared to date and a program of future reporting.

(6) Will the National Equity Strategy and the National Literacy and Numeracy Plan be coordinated to produce a comprehensive national set of aims and strategies.

Senator Vanstone —The answer to the honourable senator's question is as follows:

(1) & (2) The evidence to which the Senator refers is contained in a report released recently by the Australian Council for Educational Research. The report is titled Reading and Numeracy in Junior Secondary School: Trends, Patterns and Consequences. A copy of the report is publicly available.

(3) The National Literacy and Numeracy Plan and the National Strategy for Equity in Schooling (NSES) are different in nature and purpose. The National Literacy and Numeracy Plan, agreed by the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA) in March 1997, is a plan for action towards achieving agreed National Literacy and Numeracy Goals. The NSES is a framework to address educational disadvantage.

(4) There has been considerable progress since the implementation of the NSES and a number of States continue to provide and promote a range of programs relating to the equity groups identified by Strategy. The NSES goals have been adopted, examined and progressed through professional development activities in systems and school communities and established in the planning and documentation by which schools are guided. For example, reports from Western Australia indicate that access and participation for all equity groups have continued to improve as a result of the wider application of technology, revised program delivery strategies and the development of management information strategies. In New South Wales, the Board of Studies has adopted a set equity principles (Statement of Values) that acts as a guide to all curriculum development activities. The Statement aims to ensure that curriculum and assessment activities develop fully the talents of all students.

(5) As part of their commitment to the NSES, school authorities have agreed to participate in annual reporting and monitoring of agreed performance measures which are consistent within the framework developed for the National Report on Schooling in Australia (known as the ANR). In 1998 provision has been made for the MCEETYA to conduct a mid-term review of the overall strategy, using available data. This will be repeated in 2001. The annual reporting and monitoring will provide the data to enable informed decisions to be made concerning the strategy.

(6) Given the different nature and purpose of the National Strategy for Equity in Schooling and the National Literacy and Numeracy Plan, as outlined in response to question (3), it is not intended to coordinate them to produce a comprehensive national set of aims and strategies. The Plan and the Strategy are best viewed as being complementary.