The Wire

Literacy rates in remote and indigenous communities have long trailed the rest of Australia. Successive governments have enacted policies and projects to close this literacy gap, but the problem remains. One of these projects is championed by Aboriginal leader Noel Pearson. It’s called Direct Instruction, and has had a successful trial run in Cape York. The Federal Government is now set to expand this system nationwide. But some question whether such a scheme will be effective, or whether it goes far enough.