They invite families to promote reading with their children

Within the framework of the National Campaign for Literacy, promoted by more than 200 civil society organizations, the Argentine Advertising Council launches the campaign “Read them. There is always something to read”with the support of Argentines for Education. The goal is to engage adults in encouraging daily reading in children.

The initiative, launched this Monday, seeks to highlight, through a series of graphic and audiovisual spots, the importance of reading at home to build a better future for the boys and girls of our country. In addition to reading them stories or promoting a taste for literature, you can also use everyday materials such as a cooking recipe, the lyrics of a song or a football magazine.

The launch is made after the presentation of the report “School Results Index Evolution and analysis by department”, by the Argentinos por la Educación Observatory and Sandra Ziegler, which shows that at the national level only 45 out of 100 students reach the sixth grade of primary school in the expected time and with satisfactory learning in Language and Mathematics. The index shows a drop in learning levels and points out the importance of strengthening early and initial literacy, given that low performance is already seen in primary school and then carries over to secondary school.

In a country where 1 in 2 children in 3rd grade does not understand what they read, the National Campaign for Literacy began in May 2023 with the purpose of making the problem visible and requesting the governments of the Nation and the provinces to generate policies public to reverse the situation.

As part of the Campaign, both national authorities and 18 governors signed the Commitment to Literacy last year. Months later, and in compliance with these commitments, governments announced 24 jurisdictional literacy plans and the National Literacy Plan to strengthen reading and writing. In June 2024, the Observatory of Argentines for Education published a first monitoring report, and in the coming months it will continue to monitor the execution of these plans.

Ignacio Ibarzabalexecutive director of Argentinos por la Educación, expresses: “Since 2023, many organizations and leaders have been mobilizing for initial literacy. We have achieved a broad agreement that transcends sectors and political or ideological positions. This was a big step. Then, the agreement that the 24 provinces reached in the Federal Council of Education to prioritize initial literacy was very positive. The campaign continues. Now, with the impetus of the Argentine Advertising Council, the invitation is for families to participate. “The fact that parents encourage reading at home is essential to help their children achieve better reading comprehension and to strengthen a reading culture in the country.”

“This campaign is a request to everyone, as part of an educational ecosystem, to promote everyday reading spaces, and thus contribute to strengthening literacy and reading comprehension in childhood. We at the CPA are very excited to be able to make a contribution to through communication on this issue that is so important for the future of boys and girls in our country,” comments Florence Saguierpresident of the Argentine Advertising Council.

“It is fabulous that we continue to place reading at the center of the educational conversation, since it is the key that opens the door to all learning. Families play a crucial role in sustaining those reading processes that schools encourage every day. “That they see us read, read together, read to them and stimulate their autonomous reading are actions that add up significantly,” he considers. Veronica Cipriotaexecutive director of Enseñá por Argentina.

Estefanía Alcaraz Clouetresponsible for the Educar y Crecer educational centers, explains: “It is necessary to think about literacy also outside the classroom; Learning to read and write is a fundamental right. It is necessary to think about mathematics and reading comprehension in everyday life: to look for an address, write a message to a friend, put together a birthday invitation, or choose what we want based on our own reading of the world.”

Marcelo Velazquezdirector of the Más Voces de Corrientes Foundation, assures: “More than 200 organizations, together with Argentinos por la Educación, and now also together with the Argentine Advertising Council, we want to emphasize that literacy is the key for education to once again be a pillar in Argentina. “We continue to raise our voices so that all the boys and girls in Argentina understand what they read.”

A critical debt of the educational system

The presentation of literacy plans by national and provincial authorities is framed in a challenging context, since according to the latest international evaluations by UNESCO (ERCE 2019), 46% of boys and girls in 3rd grade in our country does not understand a text appropriate to his age. The figure rises to 61.5% among students of lower socioeconomic status.

The PISA 2022 international evaluations show that 7 out of every 10 15-year-old students from the lowest socioeconomic level do not reach the minimum level in reading, while in the highest socioeconomic level there are 3 out of 10 who do not achieve that performance.

When analyzing the results of the national Learn assessments, it is observed that the learning crisis directly impacts the school trajectories of students: only 45 out of every 100 students who begin primary school reach 6th grade on time and with the expected learning. . This gap deepens in secondary school, where only 13 out of every 100 students reach their final year in the expected theoretical time and with satisfactory knowledge of Language and Mathematics.

The “Read them” initiative. There is always something to read”, presented by the Argentine Advertising Council within the framework of the National Campaign for Literacy, has the creativity of the agency NINCH® Communication Company and the sponsorship of Grupo Arcor, Arcos Dorados, SanCor Salud, ICBC, Sancor Seguros and Santander. The pieces for various media will be disseminated throughout the country thanks to the collaboration of different media.

For more information, visit the website https://queentiendanloquelean.org/