HRH Princess Mathilde and Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou visit Brussels school
As part of the 'Europe Loves Reading' campaign, the European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, Androulla Vassiliou, joined H.R.H. Princess Mathilde of Belgium at a forum on literacy with 16-year-old pupils at the Collège Saint-Hubert in Watermael-Boitsfort (Brussels) on Monday, 17 September.
The discussion focused on the challenge of improving literacy levels in the European Union, where one in five teenagers and almost 75 million adults have poor reading skills, putting them at risk of poverty and social exclusion. The forum also addressed the impact of new technologies and social media on literacy.
On 6 September, the Commission published a report by a high level group of experts with recommendations on how to improve literacy in Europe. EU Education Ministers will discuss its findings at their meeting on 4-5 October.
Princess Mathilde was a professional speech therapist for many years and is a strong supporter of initiatives to tackle literacy problems.
To know more:
European Commission website on literacy
Report of the High Level Group on literacy: Press Release IP/12/940 and Questions & Answers MEMO/12/646
