Almost one in five students in NSW public schools should be getting specialist English language teaching support but 47,000 students are missing out each year, prompting education academics to warn that the state government is facing a crisis that will see already poor literacy rates worsen.

More than 20 leading academics have written to Premier Mike Baird, warning that tens of thousands of students with language backgrounds other than English are being denied the critical help required to develop "the social and academic language they need to succeed in NSW government schools".

Education Minister Adrian Piccoli, Skills Minister John Barilaro (centre) and NSW Premier Mike Baird. Credit:Jay Cronan

"The NSW government is walking away from its responsibility for the English language education of these students," the letter said.