This Wednesday, January 26, a roundtable discussion on “Writing about Illiteracy” was organized at the Louis Nucéra Library Auditorium, led by Jean-Luc Gagliolo, the Deputy Mayor of Nice in charge of Education, Books, and the Fight Against Illiteracy. It provided an opportunity to highlight this all too invisible and often taboo phenomenon.
In France, there are approximately 2.5 million illiterate people, meaning individuals whose native language is French and who have been educated but have not acquired reading, writing, and arithmetic skills. Despite this, these people have managed to develop coping strategies that allow them to be autonomous, even in work situations. In fact, 45% of the illiterate in France are employed.
In the South region, one in ten adults faces great difficulty with writing, highlighting the importance of bringing attention to this issue. While the gender balance is fairly even, illiterate individuals often come from working-class or even impoverished neighborhoods.
The feeling of being a “stranger in one’s own language”
Two authors spoke at the roundtable. First, Ella Balaert, author of “La lettre déchirée,” discusses Stéphane, a 13-year-old boy who cannot read and keeps this secret from everyone. In her book, she writes about the shame and humiliation felt by illiterate individuals, as well as the coping strategies they employ to avoid putting themselves in difficult situations.
Next, Yves Marie Clément, author of “Ni lire, ni écrire,” a book about Zoé, who has just started first grade and learned to read, and realizes that her father, Cédric, cannot read. This book focuses more on the perception of illiterate individuals and the difficulty literate people have in imagining others who cannot read or write.
Both authors also participated between January 24 and 28 in schools across the city of Nice as part of “Reading for All.” This initiative, launched by the city in 2008, aims to prevent illiteracy through meetings with authors.
Problems in National Education
Teachers present in the room shared their testimonies during this roundtable. They have made the fight against illiteracy a daily battle. Facing the growing number of students with dyslexia, dysphasia, or dysorthographia, they feel powerless and believe they are not sufficiently trained to identify these children.
“With classes of 35 students, we are creating future illiterate individuals. I believe the resources in National Education are not necessarily there. […] If the teacher were accompanied by an external person to help these struggling children, I think it would make a big difference,” explained Yves Marie Clément. “And the teachers are just waiting for that,” added a teacher in the audience.
Identidys
While solutions to combat illiteracy are not yet fully defined, “otherwise this roundtable wouldn’t take place,” as the speakers noted, there are tools available to help identify certain reading and writing-related issues.
Created by a group from Nice, Identidys is an online platform that helps detect all “dys” problems and saves time in identifying difficulties encountered. It is particularly suited for children under six. The website works in conjunction with the Lenval Reference Center.
