Update on Literacy

I was listening to the radio this morning and it seemed like somebody out there had read my blog. More and more people are beginning to decry the state of the education system in the maritimes and having the courage to stand up and say that it isn't working.

Here's the most scary stat from the whole bit. It comes from News 88.9 in Saint John, by way of AIMS. Approximately 50% of those applying for jobs in the Michelin plant can't pass the written exam to work on the factory floor. These people can't read well enough to follow basic instructions or read warning labels on machinery. I'd bet way more than 50% of the applicants have got a high school diploma.

The scary part isn't the Michelin has a hard time finding employees. Pay more you'll find more. The problem is that these people have invested 12 years of their lives in "education" and have been ripped off. I think they should be able to charge whoever let them graduate with fraud.

And people wonder why the maritimes still lags behind other parts of the country.