Canberra, May 15 (IANS): One in five Australian secondary school students struggle with basic literacy and numeracy, a new report revealed on Monday.

The report published by the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) revealed that 20 per cent of students start secondary school with the basic English and mathematics skills of three or more years younger, reports Xinhua news agency.

Half of Australia's secondary schools provide additional support for students struggling with literacy and numeracy basics but surveys conducted by AERO and the Australian Council for Educational Research found that 40 per cent of teachers and school leaders are not confident the support is effective.

According to data from the National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy, the percentage of students who are at or below minimum reading standards grows from 17.9 in year seven -- the first year of secondary school -- to 25.4 in year nine.

AERO's research concluded that secondary school teachers lack the training and time to help students catch up.

"You've got students who just can't read and write, so they can't engage in lessons at school and it translates into behavioral problems or leaving school early," chief executive Jenny Donovan was quoted by News Corp Australia.

"It is a problem that high schools don't necessarily see it as their task to teach literacy and numeracy, even though the ability to read is necessary for students to access the rest of the curriculum."