Grandparents should be enlisted to help teach children how to read to relieve the pressure on hardworking mothers and fathers, according to the Education Secretary.
Nicky Morgan said some parents struggled to find just 10 minutes a day to read to sons and daughters because of the demands of work.
She insisted extended families should “share the load” to ensure all children gain access to books, adding that daily reading was vital to help combat illiteracy.
The comments were made just a day after the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) criticised levels of basic skills among adults in the UK.
Researchers said the country lagged behind many other developed nations such as Japan, the Netherlands and Australia in terms of literacy, with a just a quarter of university graduates displaying advanced reading and writing skills.
Mrs Morgan said parents had a key role to play in developing good levels of literacy at an early age.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain, she backed a campaign established by the ITV programme to encourage parents to share a book with their children for 10 minutes each day.
But she insisted that even a short amount of reading time was difficult for some mothers and fathers to achieve on a daily basis.
“It is hard, of course, finding 10 minutes when you are juggling work and everything at home but it is so important,” she said. “Of course, you can share the load if there are other people around, and grandparents can join in too or other people who are carers.”
Mrs Morgan revealed that she struggled to read to her own children because of the demands of working in London while her family lived in her Loughborough constituency.
But she told how she was reading Roald Dahl books with her children at the moment, adding: “I think it is important and, actually, the adults get a huge amount out of it too.”
Figures published last month showed rising numbers of primary-age children were achieving national standards in the basics but tens of thousands of 11-year-olds still struggled with reading, writing and maths.
Some 79 per cent of pupils hit targets in the three-Rs this summer, up from 75 per cent a year ago. This meant that just over a fifth – around 117,000 pupils – moved to secondary school lacking the skills needed in the core subjects.
Mrs Morgan insisted the government was committed to “preparing children for life in modern Britain”, adding: “If a child can’t read and write then actually they are going to struggle with everything else.
"It’s going to make it harder and harder for them eventually to secure a job and that’s why actually getting the basics – the reading, the writing and also arithmetic – is so important.”
Wazazi na babu wanapaswa kuajiriwa kusaidia kuwafundisha watoto jinsi ya kusoma ili kupunguza shinikizo kwa akina mama na baba wanaofanya kazi kwa bidii, kulingana na Katibu wa Elimu. "Nicky Morgan alisema: ""Wazazi fulani walijitahidi kupata dakika 10 tu kwa siku za kuwafunulia wana wao kwa sababu ya kazi ngumu." Aliendelea kusisitiza kwamba familia kubwa zinapaswa kushiriki mzigo ili kuhakikisha watoto wote wanapata vitabu, akiongeza kuwa kusoma kila siku ni muhimu kusaidia kupambana na ukosefu wa kusoma na kuandika. Maelezo hayo yalitolewa siku moja tu baada ya Shirika la Ushirikiano wa Kiuchumi na Maendeleo (OECD) kukosoa viwango vya ujuzi wa msingi miongoni mwa watu wazima nchini Uingereza. "Wanasayansi wanasema nchi hiyo imesalia nyuma ya mataifa mengine mengi yaliyoendelea kama vile Japan, Uholanzi na Australia katika suala la kusoma na kuandika, na robo tu ya wahitimu wa chuo kikuu wanaonyesha ujuzi wa kusoma na kuandika wa hali ya juu. """ Bi Morgan alisema wazazi wana jukumu muhimu la kucheza katika kuendeleza viwango vizuri vya kusoma na kuandika katika umri wa mapema. Katika kipindi cha Good Morning Britain, mwanamke huyo aliunga mkono kampeni iliyoanzishwa na ITV kuwahimiza wazazi kushiriki kitabu na watoto wao kwa dakika 10 kila siku. Lakini alisisitiza kwamba hata muda mfupi wa kusoma ulikuwa mgumu kwa baadhi ya akina mama na baba kufikia kila siku. "Ni vigumu, bila shaka, kupata dakika 10 wakati wewe ni juggling kazi na kila kitu nyumbani, lakini ni muhimu sana,"" alisema." "Hata hivyo, ""kwa kweli, unaweza kushiriki mzigo ikiwa kuna watu wengine karibu, na babu na nyanya wanaweza kujiunga pia au watu wengine ambao ni watunzaji,"" Bi Morgan alifunua kwamba alijitahidi kusoma kwa watoto wake mwenyewe kwa sababu ya mahitaji ya kufanya kazi London wakati familia yake iliishi katika mkoa wake wa Loughborough." "Amesema kuwa anaendelea kusoma vitabu vya Roald Dahl na watoto wake, akiongeza: ""Nafikiri ni muhimu na, kwa kweli, watu wazima hupata kiasi kikubwa kutoka kwake pia."" Takwimu zilizochapishwa mwezi uliopita zilionyesha idadi inayoongezeka ya watoto wa umri wa msingi walikuwa wakifikia viwango vya kitaifa katika misingi lakini maelfu ya watoto wa miaka 11 bado walijitahidi kusoma, kuandika na hisabati." Asilimia 79 ya wanafunzi walifikia malengo katika R tatu majira ya joto, juu kutoka asilimia 75 mwaka jana. Hii ilimaanisha kwamba zaidi ya tano - karibu wanafunzi 117,500 - walihamia shule ya sekondari bila ujuzi unaohitajika katika masomo ya msingi. Bi Morgan alisisitiza serikali ilikuwa imehusika na "kuandaa watoto kwa maisha katika Uingereza ya kisasa", akiongeza: "Ikiwa mtoto hawezi kusoma na kuandika basi kwa kweli watakuwa na shida na kila kitu kingine. "Itafanya iwe vigumu zaidi na ngumu zaidi kwa wao hatimaye kupata kazi na hiyo ndiyo sababu kupata msingi - kusoma, kuandika na pia hesabu - ni muhimu sana".