Austin Deasy
Ceist:243 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Education and Science the level of illiteracy in various age groups and socio-economic groups; and the strategies he has in mind to solve this problem. [11835/00]
Written Answers. - Literacy Levels.
Traditional definitions of illiteracy, as an absolute, are generally not found useful by researchers. Most recently, researchers have adopted various measures of functional literacy to determine the number of people with serious literacy problems. My Department does not have data on standards by socio-economic groups, but it has information on the standards of pupils at some different age levels, and on the reading competence of adults.
Data from the National Reading Surveys, 1993-1998 of pupils in fifth class and 11 years-old indicate that approximately 10% of pupils have serious literacy difficulties. There is evidence from these surveys that pupils who attend schools in designated areas of disadvantage perform significantly lower.
Analysis of data from the 1991 IEA Study of Reading Literacy, International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement indicates that between 6.5% – 8.5% of Irish 14 year olds have serious literacy difficulties.
A number of strategies have already been put in place to solve the problem.
The revised primary curriculum has been sent to all schools. There is an increased emphasis in the English curriculum on raising literacy standards through the development of reading skills as part of a whole-language process. A significant programme of in-career development of teachers in regard to the introduction of this revised curriculum is well under way.
The new leaving certificate English syllabus has a particular emphasis on literacy and follows on from the revised junior certificate syllabus. Greater attention is given to comprehension and composition thereby enhancing the development of literacy skills directly related to the three areas covered in the IALS study (1997).
The remedial teaching service has been increased and now comprises of 1463 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, Furthermore, 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.
In relation to adults, tables of the results for Ireland of the OECD International Adult Literacy Survey conducted in 1995 and published in 1997 by age group and socio-ecomonic status are attached. It is important to stress that this was not a survey of illiteracy, but rather of the different levels of skills which are needed for participation in a modern economy. Some 25% of the Irish population were found to score at the lowest level (Level 1), performing at best tasks which required the reader to locate a simple piece of information in a text, with no distracting information, and when the structure of the text assists the task. Since the survey, funding for adult literacy has increased from a base of £0.85 million in 1997 to £7.825 million in 2000 plus an additional £0.960m for programme development. Some £73.6m is being provided under the national development plan for the period 2000-2006.
Referral networks have been established on an area basis, involving key actors such as FAS, the local employment service, the area partnerships, welfare and health interests, the Garda and probation services, schools, youth services, to promote awareness of the service, and provide a structured mechanism for the identification of area needs and the referral of those in need to the service. Innovative approaches are expanding such as family literacy groups, involving both adults and their children, a number of open learning centres, literacy for specific groups such as travellers, special needs, and migrant women.
An inter-Departmental literacy group has been established and has made an interim report to Government. Programmes for the unemployed in co-operation with FAS and the community employment scheme are being expanded to every FAS region following a successful pilot.
A quality framework has been developed and nationally certified inservice programmes for staff are being implemented. The Department has commissioned the development of a TV series in literacy awareness and tuition for adults. Work is under way in collaboration with RTE and NALA with a view to broadcasting towards the end of the year. The programmes will be accompanied by materials and a free helpline.
As a result of these initiatives, the number of clients catered for annually by the literacy service has increased from 5,000 to 13,000.
Percentage of Irish population by age group at different literacy levels
|
Literacy Level |
Level 1 |
Level 2 |
Level 3 |
Level 4 |
|
Age group |
||||
|
16-25ProseDocumentQuantitive |
15.91717.9 |
28.532.930.4 |
40.336.936.3 |
15.213.215.4 |
|
26-35ProseDocumentQuantitive |
16.320.019.7 |
30.532.530.3 |
38.835.132.0 |
14.412.518.1 |
|
36-45ProseDocumentQuantitive |
21.524.122.9 |
29.931.728.3 |
33.431.230.7 |
15.213.018.1 |
|
46-55ProseDocumentQuantitive |
33.536.135.9 |
29.129.824.3 |
28.224.825.5 |
9.29.214.3 |
|
56-65ProseDocumentQuantitive |
38.944.141.1 |
31.329.124.9 |
20.721.622.2 |
9.15.211.9 |
Source: OECD International Adult Literacy Survey: Results for Ireland
Occupation and Literacy Level for Irish participants – Prose
|
Level 1 |
Level 2 |
Level 3 |
Level 4 |
|
|
Manager professional |
5.5 |
16.9 |
47.2 |
30.4 |
|
Technician |
7.1 |
25.7 |
37.4 |
29.7 |
|
Clerks |
6.2 |
25.2 |
44.5 |
24.1 |
|
Sales and service worker |
14.0 |
32.8 |
41.1 |
12.1 |
|
Skilled craft worker |
21.3 |
33.4 |
38.9 |
6.3 |
|
Machine operator |
24.6 |
29.8 |
38.2 |
7.5 |
|
Agriculture/primary |
34.3 |
33.3 |
25.7 |
6.7 |
Literacy and Unemployment – Prose
|
Level 1 |
Level 2 |
Level 3 |
Level 4 |
|
|
Employed |
17.4 |
28.3 |
38.1 |
16.1 |
|
Unemployed |
35.2 |
31.2 |
26.8 |
6.7 |