Frances Fitzgerald
Ceist:244 Ms Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Education and Science the number of people who are illiterate; and if he will outline the most recent findings in this area. [12494/01]
Written Answers - Literacy Levels.
The report of the OECD International Adult Literacy Survey Results for Ireland, published in 1997, showed that 25% of the adult population, representing some 500,000 people, scored at the bottom literacy level. 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. These adults were found to score at the low est level, level one, performing at best tasks which required the reader to locate a simple piece of information in a text, with no distracting information. The survey showed early school leavers, older adults and unemployed people as being most at risk of literacy difficulties, with participation in adult education and training being least likely for those with the poorest skills.
Since the survey, this Government has given a high priority to developing adult literacy programmes. The adult literacy budget has increased from less than £850,000 prior to 1997 to almost £10.677 million this year. In the period 2000-06 £73.6 million is being provided for a national adult literacy strategy under the national development plan.
A range of initiatives has been progressed as part of the expansion of the service in co-operation with the vocational education committees, the National Adult Literacy Agency, and training and employment interests. These include measures to support awareness promotion, outreach, the development of referral networks and flexible provision. As a result the numbers availing of the service have increased from 5,000 in 1997 to 17,150 by the end of 2000. A quality framework has been developed and nationally certified in service programmes for staff are being implemented. A directory of adult literacy services has been published to promote awareness of contact points for the service. The first phase of development of an adult guidance service has been initiated, and phase two will begin in mid year in 2001.
This is being supplemented by radio and television developments so that a mass audience can avail of literacy learning in the privacy of their own homes. A television series "Read Write Now" was commissioned and broadcast on RTE from September to December 2000 and attracted an average weekly audience of 155,000, peaking twice at 192,000. The series was repeated again in January and was followed by a more intensive tuition series on radio, which began on 26 March 2001. These initiatives were accompanied by free learner packs available from the National Adult Literacy Agency, allied with a free-phone helpline operated by the agency.
Videos of the television series are currently being distributed free to literacy schemes, adult learning centres, public libraries and video outlets.
An interdepartmental committee on literacy for the unemployed has been convened by my Department, which is working with the National Adult Literacy Agency, FÁS, the local employment service, the vocational education committees and the Departments of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and Social Community and Family Affairs on the development of an integrated strategy in this area. In that context, a number of joint literacy projects with the FÁS-funded community employment scheme are under way and are now being expanded to all FÁS regions.
In relation to the school population, there are estimates from both national and international studies that approximately 10% of Irish primary school pupils have serious literacy difficulties. These issues are being addressed through the expansion of the remedial service to all primary and post-primary schools, reforms of the service in line with an expert evaluation, a major investment in the provision of school library books and the work undertaken in the past year by the national reading initiative to promote awareness and enhance quality.