Vol. 518 No. 4
107 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Education and Science if he has assessed the recommendation of establishing a national literacy programme to plan and implement a coherent response to the acute problem of illiteracy reported in recent surveys. [11842/00]
A number of strategies have already been put in place to solve the problem.
The revised primary curriculum has been sent to all schools and a major in-career development programme is under way. The programme places an increased emphasis in the English curriculum on raising literacy standards through the development of reading skills as part of a whole-language process.
The new leaving certificate English syllabus has a particular emphasis on literacy, comprehension and composition, and follows on from the revised junior certificate syllabus.
The remedial teaching service has been increased and now comprises of 1,463 remedial teachers at primary level and over 500 at second level who support pupils with diagnosed literacy and other learning difficulties.
In December 1998 all primary schools received a grant of £1,000 for the purchase of library books, with schools in designated areas of educational disadvantage receiving an additional £2,170 each. In October 1999 a minimum grant of £462 was issued to schools with 60 pupils or less for the purchase of library books, while schools with in excess of 60 pupils received a per capita grant of £7.70.
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 underachievement 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.
