An "unacceptably" high number of people in England cannot read, write and count properly, MPs have warned according to the BBC.
The Public Accounts Committee said the government's target of getting 95% of the adult population to have adequate reading, writing and maths skills would only bring England to the level currently achieved by the top 25% of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries.
Tackling poor literacy and numeracy skills was essential if more people were to realise their full potential and England was to remain competitive in the global economy, the report concluded.
This is what comes of comprehensive education which despite its perhaps initially laudable aims it does nothing but bring everyone down to the same level rather than allowing the more intelligent to flourish and succeed without being held back by the less able.
It is outrageous in 2009 that there is anyone in a country like England who is illiterate or innumerate. It is bizarre that we know more today than ever before yet we are more ill-informed (more people vote in Big Brother than in elections) and we are more aware of nutrition and healthy eating yet we are fatter than ever before.
When exam chiefs award marks to feral boys who scrawl obscenities on their tests, when teachers are told not to mark down pupils who use text speak, when expression is more important than clarity, we are all going to hell in a handcart.
