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Literacy and Basic Skills

General Continuing Education

The BMBF wants to enhance the literacy and basic skills of adults in Germany. This is what the Federal Government and the Länder have been working for during the ten-year AlphaDekade.

Opportunities

  • The AlphaDekade raises awareness of learning and support opportunities for adults with a low level of basic education.
  • Innovative learning programmes that motivate learners are being developed and tested.
  • Research on adult literacy and basic skills is strengthened and scientific findings are increasingly used in educational practice.
  • Better training is provided for staff teaching basic skills.

Approximately 6.2 million adults in Germany have no or only very basic reading and writing skills. The National Decade for Literacy and Basic Skills provides them with new opportunities for learning and thus for greater social participation.

  • During the 2016-2026 AlphaDekade, the Federal Government, the Länder and their partners want to markedly improve the literacy and basic skills of adults in Germany.
  • The Federal Education Ministry supports the AlphaDekade with approximately 180 million euros.

Poor reading and writing skills

12 percent of German-speaking adults cannot read and write at all or only at a low level. 

The majority of adults with poor reading and writing skills are over 45. 

Introduction to the topic

12 percent of German-speaking adults

Why are some adults not good at reading and writing?

This video provides some answers:

Gründe für Probleme beim Lesen und Schreiben – Woran liegt’s? [Q&A] | Frag die Expertin! (youtube.com)

Funding is awarded in particular to projects which support working adults with literacy and basic education needs at the workplace. In this way, they can put their newly acquired knowledge straight into practice at work. This not only safeguards their jobs. Success also motivates staff to participate in further in-house training measures.

The BMBF also supports the VHS-Lernportal. This portal of the German Adult Education Association (Deutscher Volkshochschul-Verband) offers digital learning opportunities free of charge. These include online literacy and basic education programmes.

Other BMBF-funded projects reach out to adults who have difficulties reading and writing via advisory services, multi-generational homes or other community centres. These provide low-threshold support, for example joint reading of official letters in learning cafés.

Debtor advice centres are also made aware of the needs of people with low reading and writing skills in order to enhance the basic financial skills of this target group.

Development and testing of new pathways in basic education

New target group-specific approaches are needed in basic education. That is why exemplary learning pathways based on the needs of adults with a low level of basic education are to be developed and tested in regional networks. The aim is to link existing programmes within the region so as to enable extended educational pathways.

A competence centre supports the exchange of information and the translation of good approaches into practice after funding has stopped.

Do you want to improve your reading and writing skills?

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At mein-schlüssel-zur-welt.de you can find information on learning programmes and counselling services. You can also use the read-aloud function to access the information.

Editorial deadline for this text: 01.11.2024

Further information