Vol. 516 No. 2
65 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for Education and Science the plans, if any, he has to re-examine the remedial service in view of the fact that there is still a high rate of illiteracy among school leavers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7068/00]
The remedial education service in primary schools has been under review in my Department, in the light of the findings of the study of remedial education in Irish primary schools which was conducted by the educational research centre, Drumcondra, in conjunction with the inspectorate of my Department in 1997. The summary report of this study was furnished in November 1998.
Since the publication of the study several steps have been taken to tackle the weaknesses identified in it. The most significant of these has been the extension of a remedial teaching service to all primary and second level schools. As a result there are now 1,465 remedial teachers allocated to primary schools and 560 full-time teacher equivalents to second level schools.
The national reading initiative launched in January is a national effort to tackle the problem of poor reading achievements and to promote reading generally. The initiative acknowledges that the problem of low achievement and under-achievement is not just a school based problem. It stresses the importance of parents encouraging their children, by reading to them to develop their vocabulary and imagination and by listening to them read.
In addition, revised guidelines on learning support/remedial teaching will be issued to all primary schools this year. Teachers will receive training in the implementation of these guidelines. An element on the revised guidelines will be an essential component of all training courses for remedial teachers supported by my Department in the future.
It will take some time for the combined effects of these and other strategies under the national reading initiative to be observable in any reduction in the number of school leavers with very serious literacy difficulties.
