School experts highlight functional illiteracy risk

One in five children are at risk of graduating from elementary and middle school functionally illiterate, according to a 2023 report by the scientific committee of the Authority for Quality Assurance in Primary and Secondary Education (ADIPPDE), the Greek equivalent of the Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA, which is a worldwide study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development on the competitive exams that are organized every year.

According to UNESCO’s definition, functional illiteracy means students cannot adequately understand the spoken and written language, formulate thinking clearly, make abstract associations, develop critical thinking, and take advantage of opportunities to improve cognitive skills.

“There is a percentage of elementary and middle school pupils who are unable to respond to questions of the first level of difficulty, let alone respond to questions of the second and third level of difficulty,” said ADIPPDE President Ilias Matsangouras, stressing the need for a special educational approach, and necessary prevention and treatment measures.