A new study concludes that the level of literacy of Quebecers has improved everywhere in Quebec between 2016 and 2021, but that the gap has widened between that of the Montreal agglomeration and that, lower, of the other regions.
The study by the Literacy Foundation specifies that the rate of catch-up in several regions is clearly insufficient to keep up with the pace of progress in Montreal and its outskirts.
Between 2016 and 2021, the difference between the Montreal region and the rest of Quebec in the proportion of the population that did not reach level three of literacy fell from 4.8% to 5.3%. The proportion of people without a diploma reached a low of 15% in Montreal, while it was double in several regional county municipalities (MRC).
Level three in literacy corresponds in particular to the ability to understand longer and more dense texts, then to correctly interpret their meaning or to make appropriate connections between the different ideas they contain.
The study observes that the current labor shortage leads to earlier entry into the labor market and that the aging of the population limits the growth of the educational profile of several RCMs. In addition, the Montreal region benefits from the presence of university centers and the arrival of specialized immigration.
Even agglomerations with university poles, such as those of Quebec, Gatineau, Sherbrooke, Rimouski and Trois-Rivières do not manage to follow the growth curve of the educational profile of the agglomeration of Montreal; therefore, their literacy scores are lower.
The Literacy Foundation concludes that it is urgent to strengthen efforts to improve literacy skills in Quebec. We must, she said, work to reduce school dropout rates, particularly among boys, to encourage college attendance, to improve the literacy profile of students in trade schools and vocational centers, and to implement put in place a national strategy for continuing education in the workplace.