Dick Spring
Ceist:55 Mr. Spring asked the Minister for Education and Science if he is involved in or planning any research on literacy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7780/99]
Written Answers. - Literacy Levels.
A national survey of English reading was conducted on a random sample of pupils in fifth class in 1998. This is the most recent in a series of surveys by Department of Education and Science inspectors in co-operation with the Educational Research Centre with a view to monitoring levels of English reading attainment in primary schools on an ongoing basis.
A report of the 1998 survey will be presented to my Department later this year. This is the fifth survey in the series which began in 1972.
Ireland is also a participant in the Programme for International Student Assessment of the OECD (the PISA project). This project will examine the attainment of 15 year olds in reading, mathematics and science in the years 2000, 2003 and 2006 respectively. Data for the reading survey will be collected by inspectors of my Department in April-May 2000.
In the area of adult literacy, research projects are not currently under way. In 1997, I published the results of a national adult literacy survey, commissioned by my Department in association with the OECD, which showed that 25 per cent of the adult population, amounting to some 500,000 people, had literacy problems. Subsequently investment in this area was increased by £250,000 in 1997, a further £2 million in 1998 and an extra £3.2 million in 1999 and 2000. In the Green Paper, Adult Education in an Era of Lifelong Learning, the implementation of a national adult literacy programme has been identified as a top priority, with an increase in investment on a phased basis recommended to a level of at least £10 million per annum.