So I'm in the local Coop getting some cheese for Min to take some pills. The lads in front of me at the till were messing about and the final lad had to find 4 pence for his mate. He was fiddling about in his purse for what seemed like an age. I could see that he had a 2 pence piece but still he messed about.
Unable to contain myself any longer I said jokingly to him, "come on, its only 4 pence you have to count."
When my turn came to pay the male shopkeeper said, "I've been doing this job for over three years and you'd be surprised at the number of kids that can't count. A lot just put a handful of coins on the counter and expect me to sort it out."
Scary if true.
Scary indeed. I'm not sure if it's our education system to blame or parents not taking responsibility for their offspring - probably a combination of both truth be told.
ReplyDeleteIt would appear that about 20% of kids leave school unable to read or write. I've had this confirmed several ways.
Delete