I welcome the Minister for Education, Deputy Bhreathnach, to the House to deal with a problem raised by Senator Sherlock. The area of adult education and literacy is also a matter of interest to me.
Adjournment Matters. - Adult Literacy.
I thank you, a Chathaoirligh, for giving me the opportunity to raise this matter and the Minister for coming to the House to reply.
There is a serious adult literacy problem in Ireland. Some 5 to 10 per cent of the adult population or 100,000 people require assistance in some form or another. In 1990, the International Literacy Year, a number of people came together in different areas to try to do something about the problem. Since then voluntary groups have found that with the increase in the number of people seeking assistance, there is a greater need for aid from the Department of Education and the statutory bodies. The need for funding on a permanent basis must be recognised. These schemes depend entirely on the efforts of volunteers. They should be able to concentrate on actual literacy work but, unfortunately, much of their time is taken up by the increasing volume of administrative work, especially fund raising.
Having to depend on funding on an ad hoc basis adds to the difficulties of securing a premises to work from and getting the necessary material and equipment. Administrative work and fund raising are laudable activities but can prove discouraging for some people who feel that they are not fulfilling the role for which they are trained.
There are seven schemes operating within the north Cork area providing an adult literacy service — Mallow Adult Literacy Association, Macroom ALA, Charleville ALA, Mitchelstown ALA, Fermoy ALA, Blarney ALA, and Duhallow ALA which covers a big region. These voluntary groups have recently come together to secure a co-ordinated approach to the increasing complexity and diversity of literacy work, especially as a much greater commitment is being sought from voluntary activists. They see the appointment of a co-ordinator as an important step forward to secure closer co-operation between the schemes, to work on an individual basis with particular scheme organisers, to assist in the development of young groups and to ensure the continued expansion of well established schemes. I am appealing to the Minister to sanction the funding necessary to facilitate the appointment of such a co-ordinator on a long-term basis.
It has been emphasised that it is not intended to change the voluntary nature of the work and it will continue to be a principal feature of literacy work that tuition is provided free of charge, with volunteers devoting their time and talents to assisting adults with the written word for no monetary compensation. It is also the intention that the schemes will retain their individual character and community-based nature. However, they say that an umbrella body would make it easier for them to co-operate and for the vocational education committee to target resources in their direction. The voluntary work being done by the groups I have mentioned must be commended as a great number of people are being provided with a service that enables them to take their place in society with confidence.
I understand it is intended to establish Mallow as a tutor training centre in its own right, and that two administrators will be appointed under a social employment scheme. It is, of course, a sad state of affairs that our education system is not geared towards rectifying this situation and I would ask the Minister to address these questions urgently as well as giving greater recognition to assisting the voluntary groups who are tackling the problem with little or no resources.
Thank you, a Chathaoirligh, for the pleasant welcome I always receive when I come to this House. I am glad Senator Sherlock has invited me to address this question. As indicated in the Green Paper on education, it is only in recent years that the incidence of illiteracy among adults has even been acknowledged in advanced industrialised countries. The 1992 OECD report referred to in the Green Paper indicated that, while the problems of basic literacy were relatively low, the problems of functional literacy were alarmingly high — by functional literacy was meant people's ability to participate satisfactorily in the social and economic life of their communities. There is no reliable data available on the incidence of literacy problems among adults in Ireland but it is reasonable to assume that the picture corresponds generally to that outlined in the OECD report.
It is, as the Senator said, a serious problem. As indicated in reply to a recent parliamentary question, the Department has commissioned the Education Research Centre at St. Patrick's College, Drumcondra, to carry out a national survey on literacy. This survey will be part of an international one led by those who produced the OECD report to which I have referred. The pilot phase of the survey is due to start shortly and the final report is due in the autumn of 1995.
The Department's approach to the literacy problem is two-pronged: taking steps to address the existing problem among adults and doing everything possible at an early stage to prevent the problem. There are still significant numbers of students leaving second level school without a satisfactory level of literacy. The intention is to identify problems as early as possible in the school life of a child and to take remedial action.
There are at present over 1,030 remedial teachers in 1,700 national schools covering 77 per cent of pupils. Remedial teachers are also provided at second level. The disadvantaged scheme for primary schools and the home-school-community liaison scheme have been consolidated and expanded. These schemes play an important role in the Department's strategy of ensuring the highest possible literacy attainment during school years, and breaking the cycle of literacy problems from one generation to the next.
In adult education, the Department's main instrument for addressing the existing literacy problems among adults is the adult literacy and community education scheme, known as the ALCE scheme. This scheme is operated through the vocational education committees. Under the scheme adults can attend courses free of charge or at a nominal cost. It is under this scheme that funding is provided to voluntary literacy groups.
The Education Research Centre is at present finalising a report on an evaluation of the scheme. The preliminary indications are that this report will highlight the value and effectiveness of the scheme, as did a previous evaluation. Both evaluations highlight the value and importance of the contribution of those who give voluntary service under the scheme.
The Department is very conscious of the importance of the voluntary contribution to the scheme and is anxious to give those concerned maximum support. This is reflected in the significant increase in funding for the ALCE scheme in recent years. The funding has been increased from £500,000 in 1989 to £1.572 million this year, or an increase of over 214 per cent.
Also, literacy help is provided for adults as part of other programmes under the aegis of the Department of Education, such as Youthreach, community training workshops, the vocational training opportunities scheme and special measures in the Programme for Economic and Social Progress partnership areas. Substantial additional resources have been provided for these schemes in recent years. In addition, literacy help is provided as part of FÁS programmes and in programmes provided at community level by other Departments and agencies.
The Senator referred to one of those programmes; I met the group in Senator Sherlock's area with my colleague Deputy Mulvihill when we discussed the co-ordination of the scheme. I will pursue the line of inquiry I started at that stage now that the Senator has brought the matter to my attention. We will then have more information about the intentions of FÁS in one of the areas mentioned by the Senator.
The Department of Education will endeavour to make the maximum amount of resources available in future years. While I am more than satisfied to be the Minister who increased this allocation by over 214 per cent, there is still a problem particularly for adults who failed to benefit from school programmes. I am deeply committed to ensuring that resources are made available to those who can best use them. I must put on the record my admiration and thanks to the volunteers who participate in this group.
The Seanad adjourned at 4.20 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday, 1 December 1993.