The Economist-20241214期「Leaders」Brain drain: Can you read as well as a ten-year-old?
02 全文梳理
【Para1】引入话题👉经合组织每隔约十年就会对各国成年人解决问题的能力进行测试。
【Para2】最新测试👉结果表明，越来越多发达国家的成年人数学和读写能力确实下降了。
【Para3-4】原因分析
-para3 表层原因👉人口结构变化如新移民的涌入及人口老龄化、新媒体的发展、教育系统等。
-para4 深层原因👉技术变革使得人们不太重视基础能力的培养，当前教育主要围绕软技能和技术。
【Para5】不良后果👉技术发展并未使得基本能力的重要性下降，且基本技能较差的人在社会上也更为弱势。
【Para6-7】改变策略
-para6 改进方案👉政府应该对青少年制定更严格的考试制度和内容，并要求学生通过基本测试。
-para7 完善系统👉政府还应该完善成人教育系统，提升他们的技能。
【Para8】作者点评👉抓紧提升年轻人的教育质量同时给年长者提供机会，双管齐下才是明智之举。
03 原文阅读 678words
Brain drain: Can you read as well as a ten-year-old?
Adults in rich countries are less literate than they were a decade ago. That requires attention
Brain drain: Can you read as well as a ten-year-old?
Adults in rich countries are less literate than they were a decade ago. That requires attention
[1] DOES IT OFTEN feel as if the world is getting stupider? Data released on December 10th by the OECD, a club of mostly rich countries, suggest this may not be all in your head. Roughly every ten years the organisation asks adults in dozens of places to sit tests in numeracy and literacy. The questions it poses are not abstract brainteasers, spelling tests or mental arithmetic. They aim to mimic problems people aged 16-65 face in daily life, whether they are working in a factory or an office, or simply trying to make sense of the news.
[7] The second task is to oil creaking systems for educating adults. These hand dropouts second chances; they also serve people who change careers and help migrants integrate. Yet politicians grant them paltry budgets, in part because they underestimate the trickiness of what they are being asked to accomplish. People with the weakest skills tend to have the least time and money for self-improvement. They are less likely to attend adult classes, or get training, even though they are the most in need.
[8] In too many places a mania for universities has sapped funding and focus from all the other kinds of lessons that people aged 18 and above could be offered. Degrees are becoming less meaningful: the OECD has found that even some university graduates post numeracy and literacy scores that might embarrass a child. Meanwhile, oldies who want to return to class without embarking on long, expensive university courses often find good alternatives are lacking. Accelerating efforts to fix all these problems seems like a bright idea. ■
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