Sweden Has a 99.0% Literacy Rate, Whats Going on There?

Its almost as high as my antiseptic liquid. Why is Australia so low?

Poll Options

  • 315
    They must have worked hard on educating their lowest denominator.
  • 29
    Maybe it isn't and they can't count that high.

Comments

  • +8

    What literacy got to do with counting?

    • +28

      They may have a high rate of literacy but bad at math so maybe they have neither.

      • +17

        maths
        .

        • +27

          Sweden Has a 99.0% Literacy Rate

          According to statistics, 73.6% of all statistics are made up.

        • THATS THE JOKE!

        • Why it's called maths?

      • Think literacy is a requirement to do math. Can't do math(s) if you can't read the question.

        • -6

          2 + 2 = 4
          requires no literacy at all… that's pure numeracy.

          AU being so far behind is probably due to at home parenting still teaching the three Rs.. reading, righting and rithmatic
          And also teaching the fourth pillar of dumb communities… "Don't trust those professionals like teachers or doctors.. what do they know.. vaccines and masks are bad mmmkaay"

          • -3

            @bweiss:

            AU being so far behind is probably due to at home parenting still teaching the three Rs.. reading, righting and rithmatic

            Explains my point right? Writing and arithmetic (it is numeracy). Even you have a literacy issue.

          • +2

            @bweiss: They replaced it with the 3 R, Respect, Resilience and ….. ( not reading for sure )

            • @cameldownunder: I assume you're not talking about the 'at home parenting'? I have definitely not seen this to have any component of 'Respect', nor 'Resilience' to it.

              • -1

                @bweiss: Nope, the 3 R are from Primary school. But I insist on Resilience with my daughter. I am from Middle Europe descent.

          • @bweiss: Kids who are home-schooled out perform their peers -Especially home-schooled boys. Having said that home-schooled kids are weird.

          • @bweiss: Ask a newborn to do 2+2, then report back

      • +2

        Another possibility is that they kill anyone who fails a reading test!

        • +2

          At a point in time the regime in Cambodia went after academics and anyone with glasses. Goes both ways.

      • dont basic maths and literacy kind of go hand in hand at school?

        • +1

          THATS THE JOKE!

      • Low numeracy.

      • If you are a tall and pretty blonde, you don't have to do math to succeed in life.

    • I express numbers vocally, and communicate many if not most mathematical concepts using words.

      They're related.

    • Why is Australia so low?

      Why do you think Australia is low?

      This study on Australian literacy levels doesn't break down into a single percentage score (as it measures various levels of literacy from very basic reading to very advanced) but you can see in the first graph that we're basically identical to Sweden:

      https://www.oecd.org/skills/piaac/Country%20note%20-%20Austr…

  • +8

    vikings..

  • +3

    Lots of reading, obviously.

  • +69

    They care about education, and its not a profession you get into because of a low ATAR.

    • +20

      Perhaps they pay their teachers well?

      • +10

        https://www.tes.com/en-au/jobs/careers-advice/pay-and-condit…

        I can't see how that is being paid poorly.

        Yes, any pay could always be higher but >$75,000 for a graduate is in no way "bad pay".

        • +11

          I thought that, until I learnt how many unpaid hours they work.

          • +4

            @brendanm: Yeah, my inlaws all toss that back in any conversation about their worked hours - they seem to think nobody else does anything other than 38-40 hours and gets paid for every hour.

            • +4

              @Grunntt: I know I sure don't do unpaid overtime. All the unpaid overtime adds up to quite a crap hourly rate considering what they have to do and deal with. My hat is off to them.

              • +2

                @brendanm: And just because you don't do unpaid overtime doesn't mean there are not many others who do. I know many in health care that put huge numbers of hours in (and a significant proportion of that is unpaid or underpaid).
                What teachers (and you apparently) consider a 'crap hourly rate' is often a claim without any real knowledge of what many, many other do every day.

                • +3

                  @Grunntt: They are also getting a crap hourly rate then? Honestly unsure why people work for free.

                  You say >$75k is great, sure it is on the face of it, but if you are doing a 60 hour week, it's rubbish.

                  • -1

                    @brendanm: Some individuals take on roles for more than the money but you sound like you may not associate too much with that type.
                    Please try reading the words that I typed rather than what you want it to be - at no point did I say that pay rate is 'great'. I said it "is in no way "bad pay"."
                    How many other graduates can walk into a first year job at that level of pay?

                    Have a look at that table that I posted and locate anyone there who is 'poorly paid'.

                    There have been a number of teachers that I have actually worked with over the years that, like you apparently, have no idea what happens outside their own bubble. They tend to repeat the same old 'poor is hard-working me' with the ignorance of what so many others do.

                    I agree that some teachers should be better paid but generally, they get a reasonable level of pay for the work involved.

                    • +2

                      @Grunntt:

                      Some individuals take on roles for more than the money

                      Then stop complaining when you don't get paid as much if it's not important?

                      you sound like you may not associate too much with that type

                      Correct, why would I work for free when someone is making money off my work? I go to work to get paid, not to have the time of my life.

                      ignorance of what so many others do.

                      This is completely irrelevant though, what others are doing has no correlation to what you are doing. There are people that do more important work than I do, probably for more hours, and get paid $0. There are then people who do less important work than me, for less hours, and get paid more. Neither of these scenarios affect me, those people have chose to do what they do, as have I. No point getting butthurt that someone else is getting more than you.

                      I agree that some teachers should be better paid but generally, they get a reasonable level of pay for the work involved.

                      Yeah I dunno about that. I get paid a higher hourly rate than senior teachers, and my job is nowhere near as important or as stressful as that would be. If we paid them properly and had higher entry standards to study teaching, we may get better student outcomes.

                    • +2

                      @Grunntt: You're complaining about teachers who complain about unpaid work because lots of people do unpaid work and don't complain as much. Unpaid work is a massive issue and more people should be talking about it so instead of complaining about those who are speaking out, perhaps you could complain about the system that enables and encourages many people (including teachers) to do unpaid work.

                      • -3

                        @Pulseidon: Yet one more person who misses the point being made. I was commenting on teachers who seem to think they are the only hard done by workers.
                        Other people do complain about unpaid work and I never intimated otherwise.
                        I have actually done something about unpaid work rather than just spent time complaining.
                        Commenting and complaining achieve nothing - action needs to be taken not just words and expect others to do it on your behalf.

                        Anyway - this getting way off topic so I'm out.

                        • @Grunntt:

                          I was commenting on teachers who seem to think they are the only hard done by workers.

                          Not one person has said this.

                • +2

                  @Grunntt: i was a teacher before i emmigrated and now in healthcare, you find dedicated people in both, as well as those who think its a factory and drop the ball when its time to go. Not all teachers tailor-make their class for their audience, but i like to think those who are just there to photocopy and dream of their holidays arent a majority. Not sure what its like in Australia but sometimes the national education board and their "progressive" ideas can also throw spanners in the works and move kids away from learning the basics properly. Over the years parents' attitudes changed a lot too, while many care, more and more seem to have no clue nor interest (possibly because a degree no longer guarantees work?). Cost cutting measures, since i was a high school student myself, also seem to have gone wild, a lot of programs don't seem to exist or have been replaced by something lacklustre, a shame when so many "projects" could be affordable (science builds or even school partnerships).

        • +2

          High for a graduate but when you're talking about being a senior in your field, being a teacher is pretty bad.

          I lived with a few people (software engineer, data scientist, a nurse, and a teacher) (this is sounding like a joke now). By far the teacher worked the hardest. It took him longer, and she was already earning less than the other professions. The other people were earning close to 100k if not more. My software engineer friend was already at 130k after 3 years of work. So in other words, you work more, take longer to graduate, owe more on your hecs, only to earn less while working more and deal with shitty kids and parents (trust me, they can get REALLY bad from the stories I've been told). Ironically, she scored the highest ATAR at our shitty school for years and much smarter than us all (que she's not really smart then if she chose to become a teacher which is exactly why our education system the way it is). I mean literally go the other way, go tafe, do a trade or something and you'll still be earning more. Just remembered one of my mates is an electrician and is already making bank as an apprentice. You can look at the overall salary and say it's 'decent' but then you have to look at the investment they put in and what they could have made otherwise. I remember talking to a friend in Switzerland and they said an electrician making more than a teacher seemed ridiculous.

          4 years, 40k debt and house prices inflating like mad during that time does not seem worth it for a career where your pay grows slowly and plateus quite low.

          • @[Deactivated]: As you like to use that site for reference here's a relevant read.

            https://psmag.com/education/what-do-teacher-salaries-do-to-t…

            I find it puts the case for a more complex response clearly.

            • +1

              @Grunntt: Do you think this is uniquely for teachers that pay doesn't improve performance or across multiple sectors like doctors because they seem to earn a lot, maybe we're paying them too much without any actual evidence it improves performance. Either way, I somewhat agree since increasing pay doesn't suddenly make all the shit teachers there better. What it can do is attract better teachers and we need to better regulate our admission process. But just simply making it harder to get into, isn't going to attract good applicants either. When it comes to hours worked overtime, this is the government sector, not the private sector. The government sector is KNOWN for being cruiser albeit paid a little less because they wrote the laws themselves, they should try to at least follow it.

              For some reason you've gone from the pay is good/fine to increasing it doesn't make a difference. Like I said, if you're arguing whether the pay is good, it's really not, far from it. When you can make more money being a tradie, traffic controller, or just a sales rep, then something is off. I bet you can find so many people on this thread alone who earns more per hour with less qualifications, less time commitment and without being in debt while possible earning from when they started. It's just sad to see that being a teacher in this country is really not a recommended profession, and with good reason, which is unfortunate as it's one of the most important professions in society. My high achieving, intelligent friend shouldn't be viewed as throwing her talent away by becoming a teacher. She's EXACTLY the type of people we need being teachers. But if you are, why spend 4 years and go into so much debt for such an average salary. It's just sad that there's such a heated debated around it, they're not earning doctor level salary ffs.

  • +5

    lowest denominator

    Is it just me or is this terrible wording? Is this why our literacy rates are so low?

    • The word common is missing, but I understood the statement.

  • +2

    What's Australia's literacy rate?

    • +36

      Down Under

      • +1

        %0.66 it is.

  • +4

    North Korea is at 100%
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_literacy_…

    Whats Going on There?

    • +21

      They counted the only guy that matters

      • +6

        Do you mean the one that counted himself after going to school as a kid in Sweden?

        • +5

          Switzerland. At least get your negative use of facts right

          • @Vote for Pedro: Maybe that one… I can't remember, though it was Sweden, second thought - believe you are right. I can't even remember what day it is now most of the time. 🤦‍♂️

            Compared to the East and West of AU, Sweden and Switzerland are the same countries. Like NZ and Tasmania are part of East AU!

            The Peoples Republic of WA!

            • @mickyb80: Given our never ending lockdowns in nsw, we envy what WA has achieved.

              • @Vote for Pedro: Never say that! Well, not in a forum of any sort where others can read it! hahahahha

    • +10

      North Korea best Korea

  • it's another conspiracy to make their govt look good.

  • +8

    Ikea Catalogues

  • +1

    Education is free…..

  • Australia's is about 99% too. Sometimes it's not ideal to be in the 1%.

    • +23

      Sometimes I wonder what it feels like to be in the 99%

      But then I finish my whiskey and call Geoffrey to collect the wine glass as I stand displaying my Joy Stick with all its glory in my ivory tower with marble floors and 24/7 on call plumber

      I remember the day my dad left me a small loan of a million dollars. Keys to my first second hand Benz from the sweet smelling Saudi Air Prince.

      How I wish and long for those days….

      Now all I do is upvote useless deals on this website, trying to lead my lost herd towards the great Oasis. Yet they stop for every single Eneloop and cant control themselves whenever there is a 5% cashback on a 50 cent used condom.

      Why god why…..why make me like this…

      • +5

        Why is someone of your stature drinking whiskey out of wine glass? Surely you know better…

      • OP's user name doesn't check out.

      • lol

  • +6

    You've provided no evidence for both your claims, so we don't know if your own literacy is even valid…

    I vote bikies in protest

    • +2

      I speak the truth, the whole truth and the only kind of truth that matters

      The AmErIcAN Truth

      ~George WashingMachine~

      • +1

        come with 3 years warranty

  • Pepsi?

    • +3

      My wife's boyfriends pet goat has terminal hair loss. Please tsunami surfer, for a small fee of $25, you too can sponsor all 4 of us. Have a heart. Open your wallet and tell me the numbers and I shall sing your praises till the end of my coffee line at Starbucks.

    • A Month!!

      Remember, $25 a month!

      Direct debit only

      Single tear rolls down my forehead

    • +22

      You mean the ones probably bringing up our literacy average?
      Have you seen some of the people who live here already? We could probably use the help :)

    • +5

      ”Sweden has long had the most generous refugee policy in Europe and, unlike many other countries, has actively welcomed refugees. But the large influx of refugees to Europe in 2015, where many European countries were unwilling to share the responsibility, led the government to introduce a temporary law that limited the rights of refugees to a minimum of what the country has committed itself to through international conventions. Despite this, Sweden still received far more refugees than most European countries.”
      https://www.nrc.no/perspectives/2020/the-10-countries-that-r…

      They also have free Swedish lessons for all new immigrants
      https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_for_immigrants

      • Sorry mate. Turkey has got around 10 million refugees in their lands as of now.

        • Oh yeah, for sure Sweden is not top of the list, but not the most restrictive of countries as tsunamisurfer was making out… assuming that’s what was meant by ‘sob story’. Sweden has taken more refugees proportionately than Australia.

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