Adult education centres tackle reading difficulties in Burgenland

Burgenland’s adult education centres have used book-sharing events to highlight reading difficulties, with 29 percent of adults in Austria struggling to understand texts, ORF reports.

This week, the Burgenland Volkshochschulen, adult education centres, held BookCrossing events in Eisenstadt, Oberwart and Neusiedl am See. Books are given away free in public places, allowing people to read them and pass them on afterwards.

The campaign aims to raise awareness of the importance of reading, said Ursula Foki, managing director of the Burgenland Volkshochschulen. The centres have run the initiative for 18 years to draw attention to poor reading skills as a major problem in Austria.

The centres also offer courses to help participants develop basic skills. They begin with individual instruction before moving gradually into group classes through an individually tailored programme.

Because the groups are smaller, participants can receive more support, said course coordinator Elisabeth Konstanzer. Around 300 people across Burgenland are taking part in the courses, including 180 who are currently completing their compulsory school-leaving qualification.