Page 986 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 19 March 1991
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out the most difficult task set. The performance of young adults was also unexpected. Respondents in the 21-24 age group performed better than older respondents, despite a common view that literacy standards had dropped in recent years.
ILY 1990 gave the ACT the opportunity to celebrate the many areas in which we have gained a reputation for educational excellence; for example, the literacy proficiency of our school age population appears to be higher than in most other States - in fact, all other States. We have the highest rate of school retention to year 12, and our secondary college system is regarded by other States as a model.
The ACT Ministry for Health, Education and the Arts plays an important role in the achievement of these high standards. As well as an ongoing commitment to curriculum development, a range of programs is offered for students with special literacy needs, and for the professional development of teachers to meet those needs. The Government recognises the importance of these programs and their continued resourcing is assured. Details of these and other programs can be found in the ACT progress report on ILY 1990, which was released at a public ceremony to mark International Literacy Day 1990 at Lake Tuggeranong College.
In 1990, the ACT, together with South Australia, hosted the national collaborative curriculum project, which mapped the English literacy curriculum throughout Australia. In 1991, the ACT will co-host two significant literacy projects. The first will prepare a national statement on English for Australian schools; and the second will develop an English subject profile which will outline students' levels of achievement in literacy as they progress through the various stages of schooling.
The ACT's selection as joint leader of these very important projects is indicative of the esteem in which our education system's literacy achievements are held. In addition, the ACT is collaborating with the south coast region of the New South Wales Department of Education and the Catholic Education Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn on the secondary literacy and learning project. This focuses on the professional development of teachers in junior secondary schools and promotes the Government's commitment to regional initiatives. Feedback on the school component of our ILY program includes a reported increase in the number of requests for workshops for parents wishing to assist their own child's literacy development.
Mr Speaker, in comparison with other States, the ACT provides a high standard of tertiary education and the population, I think, makes good use of it. The ACT population has the highest rate of participation in tertiary education in Australia. This is not surprising in a city whose largest employer is the Australian Public
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