Preliminary testing of teenagers in New Zealand showed that the knowledge of many of them does not meet educational standards, some do not know how to write capital letters, put periods in sentences and do not know how many minutes are in one hour, RNZ radio reported on Wednesday.

The new standards - one for arithmetic and two for literacy - will be introduced next year as a mandatory requirement for education certificates.

The pre-test revealed that about 40% of students who took the test for the second of the three levels of the certificate are illiterate and cannot count.

According to study organizer Michael Johnston, the standards and norms being introduced in New Zealand are aimed at ensuring that students can read, write and count well enough to function in society.

However, the RNZ argues that New Zealand's illiteracy reflects society's lack of appreciation for people's ability to read and write.