There have been growing concerns among educators and employers, and within the wider community, about students emerging from school having achieved poor standards of literacy and numeracy.

These concerns are justified. In an increasingly technical world, being able to read, to follow instructions and to express thoughts verbally and on paper is essential. So is being able to do basic arithmetic. The three Rs, reading, writing and ‘rithmetic, are still the basis for any career which requires more knowledge and ability than packing groceries or sweeping streets.

Without it, attempts to add additional skills to qualifications are likely to be futile.

The community recognises the problem. When CedarBridge Academy opened five years ago, then-principal Ernest Payette went public with the astoundingly low levels of literacy that his teachers found. And the Bermuda College has had to put many incoming students into remedial classes before they can attempt college-level work.

There have been signs of improvement in the last few years, but the situation remains unsatisfactory. Some of the solutions already in place or being proposed make sense.

The Premier has put her personal standing behind a literacy initiative.

Starting this year, both secondary schools will now keep students for a year longer which may help them come up to the necessary standards. And there seems to be some recognition that students should not be advanced from on year to the next when they are clearly failing.

A report commissioned by Government on middle schools also recommends that more time be spent on core subjects like maths and English and less on the so-called “encore” subjects like art and music. On the face of it, that seems to make sense. If students are lagging behind in the three Rs, then spending more time on them should help them to catch up.

Not necessarily, according to middle school principals. First, they say that “encore” classes like music and design require some knowledge of maths and English, and these skills must be used in the classes. So these subjects do not exclude core subjects.

Second, there is some evidence to suggest that exposure to music at early ages helps children with maths. Third, children do not necessarily look forward to going to maths and English classes. But many children love their art and music classes. Take the classes they enjoy away, and the most at risk students may not want to go to school at all. Give them a reason to go to school, and they will benefit from English and Maths instruction as well.

Former Whitney head teacher Gail Graham has said she is not convinced that adding more English and Maths to the curriculum will improve literacy. It is the quality of instruction, not the quantity, that matters most. To that extent, improved training of teachers and using the best possible tools and methods to teach (and that does not necessarily mean the newest) is essential.

Parental involvement is also key. The best curriculum in the world and the most highly trained teachers cannot guarantee that students will fulfil their potential if parents, from day one, are not supporting their children or teaching them that learning is a wonderful thing in and of itself.

On a more practical level, they have to be involved with their schools, holding teachers and principals accountable and supporting the schools in their endeavours. Even then, they need to ensure that their children are doing their homework and, in some cases, actually attending classes.

If parents fail to do that, they cannot blame the education system — or the Government — if their children fail to go to the college of their choice, or to get the jobs they should.