Approximately 1.3 million residents of the Netherlands between the ages of 16 and 65 have low literacy skills. They struggle to read, write and communicate in the Dutch language. Despite the efforts made by many parties, the number of people with low literacy skills has not decreased in recent years and has even increased among a number of groups.

The new Tel mee met Taal (Count on Skills) action programme is the response, with which the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment will jointly prevent the situation in which people with limited literacy skills become marginalised. The programma shall create synergy by linking various fields in which language plays a role: at school, in libraries and community centres, but also in social neighbourhood teams, the debt assistance scheme, early school leaving, (re-)integration, youth social services and income support departments. 

In this document you can find the main objectives of this programma from 2016 to 2018, the three domains Count on Skills will focus on (family, employment market and healthcare), and the 5 action lines. The document was written by the three Ministries.