Words fail us -- why the minister wants to improve literacy . . . [Independent.ie]
- Published: 30 March 2011
Irish schoolchildren are likely to spend more time on reading and writing as the new Government launches a drive to improve literacy.
Under the new plans, primary schools will have to spend 90 minutes each day on reading and writing. In disadvantaged schools this will be extended to 120 minutes.
There will also be moves to improve teacher training so that there is a greater focus on these basic skills.
There was general alarm in education circles at recent OECD figures showing that 17pc of Irish 15-year-olds -- and as many as one in four teenage boys -- are functionally illiterate.
This means the students would have difficulty with everyday tasks such as filling out forms, understanding bus timetables, reading maps and newspapers.
Education researchers may have had reservations about how the OECD figures were compiled, but there is agreement that we need to improve literacy as a matter of urgency.
The driving force behind Labour's strategy is Aodhan O'Riordain, who worked as a primary principal in the north inner city in Dublin before he was elected as a TD at the general election.
Although the strategy will ultimately be implemented by the new minister Ruairi Quinn, O'Riordain has campaigned to improve reading standards with a missionary zeal.
"It is simply unacceptable that in some areas as many as one-in-three children leave primary school unable to read or write properly,'' says the TD.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
