National Pact on Literacy

The Minister of Education and Culture, Illugi Gunnarsson, and the Chairperson of Heimilis og skóla – the National Parents' Association, Anna Margrét Sigurðardóttir, today signed an agreement on the creation of a literacy charter for parents and related promotional material. Áslandsskóli had the honour of hosting the signing, and the ceremony was presided over by the head teacher, Leifur S. Garðarsson.

A National Pact on Literacy has now been signed, in which local authorities and educationand the Minister for Education and Culture, together with representatives of Home-School, enter into an agreement in which all parties confirm a common understanding that literacy is necessary for active participation in society, so that everyone can utilise their talents for their own benefit and for the benefit of society as a whole. The parties to the agreement also agree to work to the best of their ability to ensure that at least 90% of pupils in the municipality can read for meaning by 2018. Currently, 79% of children in Iceland can read proficiently, according to the PISA 2012 results. Emphasis is placed on collaboration with parents and parents' associations to achieve the objectives of the agreement.

The aim is to make parents aware of the responsibility they bear, to point out good ways forward and what can be done in the situation. It also aims to appeal to the collective strength and shared responsibility of parents by designing a literacy charter similar in format to the Home-School Parent Agreement. Furthermore, the charter is well-suited to strengthening the relationship between teachers and parents.

The main objectives of the said agreement are: 

•  Promote improved reading skills among children and young people through parental involvement and support in implementing a national literacy charter, signed by all local authorities alongside the minister and representatives of Home-School Association.
• Create a special literacy charter for parents and implement it nationwide through various initiatives.
• Increase parents' awareness of their responsibility for their children's literacy.
• Engaging parents in supporting their children's literacy.
• Increase cooperation between teachers and parents.
• To promote material on the focus and collaboration of the third sector and the government in enhancing children's literacy.

 
The Ministry's contribution to this agreement is 14 million króna, based on a work plan submitted by Heimili og skóli and approved by the Ministry. The agreement is valid from 1 January 2016 until the end of 2016.