'SCANDAL' THAT KIDS STRUGGLE TO READ

Teachers have been urged to set aside personal ideologies that have prevented the widespread adoption of phonics instruction in schools, with a leading international education advocate describing it as scandalous that many children are struggling to read properly. In Australia to promote an education initiative aimed at disadvantaged students, Kevan Collins, head of Britain's multimillion-dollar Education Endowment Foundation, said it was disappointing to see "political noise and guff" continue to distort an issue as important as learning to read.