Vol. 529 No. 3
13 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Education and Science the information available to him regarding literacy standards among the current schoolgoing population; the systems which exist for the collection of this information; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2769/01]
National surveys of reading in primary schools were carried out in 1972, 1980, 1988, 1993 and 1998 by my Department in co-operation with the Educational Research Centre, ERC, Drumcondra. Significant progress in pupils' reading achievement was recorded between 1972 and 1980.
The most recent survey of reading achievement of pupils in fifth class in 1998 indicated that there has been no significant change in reading standards over the past 20 years. Teachers estimated that 10% of their pupils who participated in this survey functioned at a level that they considered as weak-inadequate, while another 10% functioned at third class level or lower.
The vast majority of primary schools administer standardised, norm-referenced literacy tests to their pupils to monitor pupil progress and standards. The inspectorate of my Department evaluates literacy standards in schools during inspections and furnishes reports to individual schools and their boards of management. School and class records of pupil progress in literacy are kept within schools and are generally examined by the inspectorate during inspections. The results of such school-administered tests are not collated centrally by my Department. The main system for the collection of information regarding literacy standards is through the programme of national surveys of pupils in fifth class, in conjunction with the Educational Research Centre.
I intend to continue the series of surveys at fifth class level and extend the programme to include pupils at second and third class level. From time to time, Irish students participate in international surveys of literacy attainment organised by the OECD or by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement. The results of the Programme for International Student Assessment, the PISA project, which examined literacy attainment of 15 year olds in 2000 are not yet available.
Does the Minister accept that 20% of fifth class students with serious literacy problems is a serious indictment of the education system and is completely unacceptable? He referred to the possibility of introducing some measurement at an earlier stage and I agree with that completely. Will he expand on his proposals for measuring literacy at second class as well as fifth class level? When does he hope to introduce that system?
That is being worked on with the Educational Research Centre – ERC – for its next survey. I do not have the date of it but I will certainly come back to the Deputy on it.
On the main issue, it is clear that there has been a major problem for the past 20 years and it must be given a great deal of consideration. If it were easy to solve, the teachers would have solved it at this stage, but many other factors are involved, such as dyslexia and other learning difficulties, and that is one area to which I give priority, as the Deputy may realise. If we do that, we will begin to break down the problems.
A task force of dyslexia and learning difficulties is due to report in about a month. In the meantime, I have invested some money for such children in laptop computers, but that is in second year at second level.
Apart from the Minister's proposals for people with dyslexia, has he any other proposals or does he plan any initiative to deal with the problem of illiteracy?
Initiatives begin in early childhood. It is with that aspect that the package of £26 million for the disadvantaged is concerned. It is concerned with tackling disadvantage in primary school and providing facilities and reading materials. Within the next week to a fortnight I will appoint a director for this area of disadvantage to follow through on those moneys and ensure they are spent in a supportive way. That will be very helpful because we have a good deal of experience of this area from the Breaking the Cycle initiative and other measures which have been in operation. The director will use that in training and supporting teachers and providing equipment in schools. Separate from that and alongside it, there is direct support for children with a disability.
Apart from that, there is also the issue of a background of disadvantage with no reading experience. There are also learning and reading difficulties. A number of factors are involved.
