Ivan Yates
Ceist:65 Mr. Yates asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will review his Department's targets on adult literacy campaigns; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28231/01]
Written Answers. - Adult Education.
The target set out in the national development plan and the White Paper on Adult Education "Learning for Life" is that over the period 2000-2006, investment in adult literacy should increase to £73.6 million and that some 113,000 people should benefit from the service. At this stage, the number of participants availing of VEC adult literacy services has been increased from 5,000 in 1997 to 18,862 at present, and investment has been increased from a base of £850,000 in 1997 to £10.677 million in 2001. Key goals are to increase access, to strengthen quality, to increase the referral links with other agencies and to provide a continuum of provision from one to one learning to group tuition to progression to certified learning options.
In countries where there has been systematic sustained investment over long periods in adult literacy, the trend is for literacy services to reach at most between 5% to 10% of the estimated numbers in need. This is why, in addition to the targets above, new ways are being developed to reach a wider audience in the privacy of their own homes, using radio and television for literacy tuition and awareness promotion. The TV series "Read Write Now" broadcast last year was a resounding success, attracting an average weekly audience of 155,000 people, the highest ever for an educational programme in Ireland. RTE agreed to broadcast the second series three times each week and the second series is being watched by some 246,000 viewers each week. The evaluation of the first series, published by the National Adult Literacy Agency, shows that there is a very large demand from independent learners to avail of help without joining a literacy scheme. Use of radio and TV enables them to do so and the initiatives are supported by free learner resource books and a freephone helpline manned by trained literacy tutors, provided by the National Adult Literacy Agency.
In addition to these developments, a model of workplace literacy has been successfully piloted and a workplace literacy strategy group has been established by NALA to examine how this model can be mainstreamed. Research is also under way on the development of a systematic assessment framework for the literacy service which will pro vide for an objective diagnosis of learner's needs and starting points, and enable their progress to be monitored in graduated steps, particularly at levels below national certification at FETAC/NCVA foundation level and junior certificate.
When more data is available and more progress has been made in these areas, my Department will be able to review and set revised targets in this area.