On International Book Day, poorer Irish children bottom of literacy leagues
Issued : Thursday 4 March, 2010
Statement by Aodhán Ó Ríordáin TD
As Irish schools celebrate International Book Day across the country, the stark reality of the literacy standards in our poorer communities stands as a damning indictment of our inability to empower our most vulnerable children with the most fundamental of tools - the ability to read.
The cold fact is that 30 per cent of children that live in disadvantaged areas have basic reading problems, a statistic which is an embarrassment in a country which is so quick to celebrate its literary heritage.
The majority of our youth offenders are completely incapable of reading their charge sheets, as they have been effectively spat out by an education system that is incapable of meeting their needs. Perhaps the Minister for Education and Science could answer these questions in relation to tackling these issues?
* Why are the NEWB (National Educational Welfare Board) and NEPS (National Educational Psychological Service) hopelessly under-resourced to deal with the issues that face children within our schools?
* Why are all schools facing an SNA Review designed to cut resources?
* Why doesn't NEPS provide clinical assessments so as to diagnose emotional behavioural disorders?
* Why is every local authority struggling to keep its library service open and running?
Four years ago, as Deputy Lord Mayor of Dublin, I launched a literacy campaign called 'The Right to Read Campaign' which has succeeded in:
* Improving housing standards and apartment sizes to encourage learning in the home
* Opening nine Learning Zones across the Library Service,
* Opening every Dublin City Library at weekends for the first time.
If this can be achieved at Council level, where is the parallel commitment at national level? Are we to condemn another generation of young people to educational poverty?
