Frequently Asked Questions

Where is NALA based?

Our main office is in Dublin and we have a regional office in Cork.

How is NALA funded?

Our main funding comes from the Department of Education and Science. As well as this, we work with a range of Government departments, state organisations, businesses who sometimes fund specific development projects. We are a registered limited company with charitable status.

Who are the NALA Executive?

Our Executive members are:

• Mr. Michael Power (Chair)
• Ms. Marian O'Reilly
• Ms. Bridie Daly
• Mr. Kevin O'Duffy
• Ms. Eileen Condon
• Counsellor Eddie Staunton
• Ms. Carmel Scott
• Ms. Gretta Vaughan
• Ms. Frances Killeen
• Ms. Breda Kavanagh
• Ms. Jane Smith
• Ms. Bernadette Cogan
• Ms. Pat Ayton
• Ms. Peggy Murphy.

What is NALA?

NALA stands for the National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA). We are an independent membership organisation. We are a charity. We have over 600 members and have been in existence since 1980. We are committed to making sure people with literacy difficulties can fully take part in society and have access to learning opportunities that meet their needs.

What are the categories of NALA membership?

We have two categories of membership:

1. Individual membership is open to anyone interested in or involved with adult literacy. Individual members may vote in person at general meetings. There are four types of individual membership.

2. Group membership is open to organisations interested in or involved with adult literacy work. A member organisation of NALA may send two delegates to vote in person at general meetings. There are four types of group membership.

How many adults have literacy difficulties in Ireland?

The most recent information available to us on this question indicates that about 25% of the Irish population, or at least 500,000 adults, had very low literacy skills. This meant that these people could only perform tasks that involved finding a simple piece of information in a short written piece, with no distracting information.

A further 30% have very low educational attainment. Therefore 55% of the adult population are below the minimum desirable threshold.

Source: The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 1997. Literacy Skills for the Knowledge Society: Further results from the International Adult Literacy Survey. Paris: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

How is NALA funded?

Our main funding comes from the Department of Education and Science. As well as this, we work with a range of Government departments, state organisations, businesses who sometimes fund specific development projects. We are a registered limited company with charitable status.

What is literacy?

NALA defines literacy as listening and speaking, reading, writing, numeracy and using everyday technology to communicate and handle information. Literacy includes more than the technical skills of communication: it also has personal, social and economic dimensions. Literacy increases the opportunity for individuals and communities to reflect on their situation, explore new possibilities and initiate change.

What is a spiky profile?

It is important to note that if a person needs to develop confidence and skill in particular literacy practices, it does not mean that the individual has difficulties with all of the basics of reading, writing, verbal communication and number work. We all have things we are good at and other things we have to struggle with and it works in much the same way with basic skills.

People's skills tend to be 'spiky', which means that we can be very good at one thing but have a real difficulty with another, which can have an adverse affect on our overall performance.

The Moser Report states that "a learner would need many years to get to a threshold basic skills level. In the USA, the research shows that between 550-600 hours of instruction are needed to become fully literate and numerate".

Who are most at risk of having literacy difficulties?

• According to the International Adult Literacy Service:
• early school leavers
• older adults
• non-English speakers and
• unemployed people

are most at risk of having literacy difficulties. People with no or low qualifications may also be at risk.

How many people are learning through the Workplace Basic Education Fund?

In 2009 there were 2,000 adults who participated in a workplace basic education training programme.

What is the profile of a typical adult literacy student?

The typical adult literacy student in the VEC adult literacy service in 2008 :

• is 40 years of age
• has left school at 15-16, most likely without a junior certificate level qualification
• receives two hours literacy tuition per week. This is eqivalent to two weeks' full-time education
• mainly women (60%)
• are employed.

How many learners are in the VEC Adult Literacy Service?

In 2008 there were 47,610 adults working to improve their literacy and numeracy skills in the VEC Adult Literacy Service. This represents a 4% increase in the number of students attending classes in 2007.

Note: These figures do not include those on Intensive Tuition in Adult Basic Education (ITABE),

What is NALA?

NALA stands for the National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA). We are an independent membership organisation. We are a charity. We have over 600 members and have been in existence since 1980. We are committed to making sure people with literacy difficulties can fully take part in society and have access to learning opportunities that meet their needs.

What are the categories of NALA membership?

We have two categories of membership:

1. Individual membership is open to anyone interested in or involved with adult literacy. Individual members may vote in person at general meetings. There are four types of individual membership.

2. Group membership is open to organisations interested in or involved with adult literacy work. A member organisation of NALA may send two delegates to vote in person at general meetings. There are four types of group membership.

What are the different types of individual membership?

We have four types of individual membership: individual, unwaged, discounted rate and associate and overseas individual members. Let's look at each of these in turn in terms of their fee and other differences.

1. Individual member where you represent your own view rather than an organisation that you might be associated with.

Fee €25.

2. Unwaged individual are people who are not working or who are on a disability / carers' / pension allowance.

Fee €5.

3. Discounted rate (for 10 or more people joining together). Each individual must fill out and sign a separate NALA Membership form.

4. Associate and overseas. For those who wish to make a donation to show their support for NALA's work and for individuals based overseas.

Fee €50.

Why should I become a members of NALA?

The benefits to all individual members, apart from associate and overseas members are as follows:

• receipt of information directly to the address given on your Membership form.
• you will hear first about our events, new publications and you shall also be given first preference with bookings for our events.
• receipt of our annual report, Literacy Matters magazine and e-zine for free.
• receipt of complimentary copies of certain NALA resources.

Associate and overseas members receive our annual report.

What contribution have individual members to NALA's work?

All individual members apart from associate and overseas members contribute to how NALA works by:

• have one vote each.
• making and / or voting on suggestions about NALA's work or direction
• Vote new members onto NALA's Executive Committee
• Putting forward a representative for election onto NALA's Executive Committee.
• allowing inspection of of NALA records / minutes of meetings at any reasonable time.
• calling for an Extraordinary General Meeting to discuss an issue seen as relevant and urgent. A minimum of 10% of NALA members would need to ask, in writing, to request this.

How important are good literacy skills?

Literacy and numeracy skills are part of everyday life. Think of all the notices and signs around us, how we use money every day, use the internet and send text messages. Everywhere we go we are faced with text, numbers and technology.

Literacy has an important role for the individual, the worker, the family member and the citizen. Most people have some literacy and numeracy skills, but they can vary in different situations. For example, a person might have high levels of literacy in completing a form but low levels of literacy when figuring out the instructions for using the DVD player.

Those with significant literacy difficulties are likely to have difficulty carrying out day-to-day talks that involve literacy. These might include:

• writing a shopping list,
• reading a health and safety notice, or
• filling in a driving licence application form.

NALA's view is that while literacy is clearly linked to economic development and employment, it must not be limited to issues of economics. Literacy is deeply connected with the rights of individuals and communities: it is about their right to have a voice in society; to continue and extend their education; to read and to be read.

What is Government doing?

In Learning for Life, the 2000 White Paper on Adult Education, the Department of Education and Science placed adult literacy as its top priority and set out the National Adult Literacy Programme. This was a plan to improve literacy levels among the adult population in Ireland. It was the first such plan in Ireland and provided a guide for action in developing adult literacy up to 2006.

In 2007, there was a target set in the National Action Plan on Social Inclusion to reduce the proportion of the population with a significant literacy difficulty from 25% between 20% and 15%.

In terms of the qualifications and the workplace, the National Skills Strategy (Tomorrows Skills, Forfas, 2007) identifies that 539,500 people, some 30% of the workforce, have Level 3 (Junior Certificate) qualifications or less (with an estimated 10% having no qualifications). The strategy identifies the need to reduce this figure to 7% (180,000) workers by 2020 to maintain Ireland's competitiveness and progress towards a knowledge economy.

The Government plans to participate in the next International Adult Literacy Survey, PIAAC. The survey findings will be published in 2013.

How is adult literacy financed in Ireland?

National Development Plans

The National Development Plan 2000-2006, provided €93.7 million to the National Adult Literacy Programme in line with its commitment to provide full and diverse education and training opportunities, particularly for those who are socially disadvantaged.

The National Development Plan 2007-2016 has committed €2.2 billion for the further education sub-programme with priorities on addressing low literacy levels in the adult population and the large number who have not completed upper secondary.

It also made commitments to reduce the numbers of children with serious literacy difficulties in primary schools in disadvantaged areas by half, from 30% to 15%.

The Department of Education and Science

The Department of Education and Science funds the bulk of the further education sector through the 33 Vocational Education Committees through out the country.

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment funds workplace basic education programmes.

Who are the 25% of Irish people who scored at the lowest level, Level 1, of a five level literacy scale?

In 1997, results from the International Adult Literacy Survey, developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development showed that 25% of the Irish population, or at least 500,000 people, scored at the lowest level, Level 1, of a five level scale.

• Most of those who scored at Level 1 were in the older age groups. There are a number of possible reaons why so many older people scored at Level 1 in in the International Adult Literacy Survey:
  • they may not have completed primary school;
  • they may not have been able to take advantage of free second level education which was only introduced in 1967; or
  • they may only have developed the literacy skills required for society at that time.
• About one-fifth of people at Level 1 never read a book and three-fifths claimed never to have been to a public library.
• More than 60% of those who left school without completing the Junior Cycle scored at Level 1.
• Nearly a fifth of those aged 16 to 25 scored at Level 1. This is a poor result compared to the percentage of 16 to 25 year olds at Level 1 in Sweden (3%) and Germany (5%).
• An unemployed person is three times more likely to experience a lower level of literacy than someone who is employed.

What stops people from returning to learning?

Sometimes people who had a negative experience of school in the past associate returning to learning with that experience.

There is also stigma attached to having a literacy difficulty. Often people feel too embarrassed to return to learning and go to great extremes to hide their difficulties from their friends and family, because they think people will see them as stupid. However, this does not have to be the case. Adult education is a very different experience to school. Adult learning is all about addressing the needs of the learner, working at a pace that suits them and according to their needs and interests.

What services and training settings offer literacy support?

The main providers of adult literacy support are:

• the Vocational Education Committees (VEC) Adult Literacy Services;
• FAS Community Training Centres;
• Community-based providers (for example Dublin Adult Learning Centre, An Cosan); and
• NALA through our distance education TV and Internet projects.

VEC Adult Literacy Service

The Vocational Education Committees (VEC) Adult Literacy Service is the largest provider of adult literacy support in Ireland.There are about 130 VEC Adult Literacy Services throughout the country.

Other providers of literacy tuition

• Aside from their Adult Literacy Service, VECs offer tuition through the:
• Back to Education Initiative
• Vocational Opportunities Scheme (VTOS),
• Youthreach, and
• Senior Traveller Training Centres.

Other providers include:

• FAS Community Training Centres,
• Prison Education Service,
• FAS/VEC Return to Education Programme for people on Community Employment,
• National Learning Network,
• Teagasc,
• SIPTU, and
• community-based providers.

How many adults have literacy difficulties in Ireland?

The most recent information available to us on this question indicates that about 25% of the Irish population, or at least 500,000 adults, had very low literacy skills. This meant that these people could only perform tasks that involved finding a simple piece of information in a short written piece, with no distracting information.

A further 30% have very low educational attainment. Therefore 55% of the adult population are below the minimum desirable threshold.

Source: The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 1997. Literacy Skills for the Knowledge Society: Further results from the International Adult Literacy Survey. Paris: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

How is NALA funded?

Our main funding comes from the Department of Education and Science. As well as this, we work with a range of Government departments, state organisations, businesses who sometimes fund specific development projects. We are a registered limited company with charitable status.

What is literacy?

NALA defines literacy as listening and speaking, reading, writing, numeracy and using everyday technology to communicate and handle information. Literacy includes more than the technical skills of communication: it also has personal, social and economic dimensions. Literacy increases the opportunity for individuals and communities to reflect on their situation, explore new possibilities and initiate change.

What is a spiky profile?

It is important to note that if a person needs to develop confidence and skill in particular literacy practices, it does not mean that the individual has difficulties with all of the basics of reading, writing, verbal communication and number work. We all have things we are good at and other things we have to struggle with and it works in much the same way with basic skills.

People's skills tend to be 'spiky', which means that we can be very good at one thing but have a real difficulty with another, which can have an adverse affect on our overall performance.

The Moser Report states that "a learner would need many years to get to a threshold basic skills level. In the USA, the research shows that between 550-600 hours of instruction are needed to become fully literate and numerate".

Who are most at risk of having literacy difficulties?

• According to the International Adult Literacy Service:
• early school leavers
• older adults
• non-English speakers and
• unemployed people

are most at risk of having literacy difficulties. People with no or low qualifications may also be at risk.

What is the profile of a typical adult literacy student?

The typical adult literacy student in the VEC adult literacy service in 2008 :

• is 40 years of age
• has left school at 15-16, most likely without a junior certificate level qualification
• receives two hours literacy tuition per week. This is eqivalent to two weeks' full-time education
• mainly women (60%)
• are employed.

How many paid tutors are there in the VEC Adult Literacy Service?

In 2008 there were about 1,500. This figure has not changed that much in the last few years. For example, in 2006 it was 1,424 and in 2007 it was 1,492.

How many learners are in the VEC Adult Literacy Service?

In 2008 there were 47,610 adults working to improve their literacy and numeracy skills in the VEC Adult Literacy Service. This represents a 4% increase in the number of students attending classes in 2007.

Note: These figures do not include those on Intensive Tuition in Adult Basic Education (ITABE),

How many voluntary tutors are there in the VEC Adult Literacy Service?

There are about 3,283 voluntary tutors in the Service. (2008 figures).

What is NALA?

NALA stands for the National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA). We are an independent membership organisation. We are a charity. We have over 600 members and have been in existence since 1980. We are committed to making sure people with literacy difficulties can fully take part in society and have access to learning opportunities that meet their needs.

What are the categories of NALA membership?

We have two categories of membership:

1. Individual membership is open to anyone interested in or involved with adult literacy. Individual members may vote in person at general meetings. There are four types of individual membership.

2. Group membership is open to organisations interested in or involved with adult literacy work. A member organisation of NALA may send two delegates to vote in person at general meetings. There are four types of group membership.

What are the different types of individual membership?

We have four types of individual membership: individual, unwaged, discounted rate and associate and overseas individual members. Let's look at each of these in turn in terms of their fee and other differences.

1. Individual member where you represent your own view rather than an organisation that you might be associated with.

Fee €25.

2. Unwaged individual are people who are not working or who are on a disability / carers' / pension allowance.

Fee €5.

3. Discounted rate (for 10 or more people joining together). Each individual must fill out and sign a separate NALA Membership form.

4. Associate and overseas. For those who wish to make a donation to show their support for NALA's work and for individuals based overseas.

Fee €50.

Why should I become a members of NALA?

The benefits to all individual members, apart from associate and overseas members are as follows:

• receipt of information directly to the address given on your Membership form.
• you will hear first about our events, new publications and you shall also be given first preference with bookings for our events.
• receipt of our annual report, Literacy Matters magazine and e-zine for free.
• receipt of complimentary copies of certain NALA resources.

Associate and overseas members receive our annual report.

What contribution have individual members to NALA's work?

All individual members apart from associate and overseas members contribute to how NALA works by:

• have one vote each.
• making and / or voting on suggestions about NALA's work or direction
• Vote new members onto NALA's Executive Committee
• Putting forward a representative for election onto NALA's Executive Committee.
• allowing inspection of of NALA records / minutes of meetings at any reasonable time.
• calling for an Extraordinary General Meeting to discuss an issue seen as relevant and urgent. A minimum of 10% of NALA members would need to ask, in writing, to request this.

How important are good literacy skills?

Literacy and numeracy skills are part of everyday life. Think of all the notices and signs around us, how we use money every day, use the internet and send text messages. Everywhere we go we are faced with text, numbers and technology.

Literacy has an important role for the individual, the worker, the family member and the citizen. Most people have some literacy and numeracy skills, but they can vary in different situations. For example, a person might have high levels of literacy in completing a form but low levels of literacy when figuring out the instructions for using the DVD player.

Those with significant literacy difficulties are likely to have difficulty carrying out day-to-day talks that involve literacy. These might include:

• writing a shopping list,
• reading a health and safety notice, or
• filling in a driving licence application form.

NALA's view is that while literacy is clearly linked to economic development and employment, it must not be limited to issues of economics. Literacy is deeply connected with the rights of individuals and communities: it is about their right to have a voice in society; to continue and extend their education; to read and to be read.

What is Government doing?

In Learning for Life, the 2000 White Paper on Adult Education, the Department of Education and Science placed adult literacy as its top priority and set out the National Adult Literacy Programme. This was a plan to improve literacy levels among the adult population in Ireland. It was the first such plan in Ireland and provided a guide for action in developing adult literacy up to 2006.

In 2007, there was a target set in the National Action Plan on Social Inclusion to reduce the proportion of the population with a significant literacy difficulty from 25% between 20% and 15%.

In terms of the qualifications and the workplace, the National Skills Strategy (Tomorrows Skills, Forfas, 2007) identifies that 539,500 people, some 30% of the workforce, have Level 3 (Junior Certificate) qualifications or less (with an estimated 10% having no qualifications). The strategy identifies the need to reduce this figure to 7% (180,000) workers by 2020 to maintain Ireland's competitiveness and progress towards a knowledge economy.

The Government plans to participate in the next International Adult Literacy Survey, PIAAC. The survey findings will be published in 2013.

How is adult literacy financed in Ireland?

National Development Plans

The National Development Plan 2000-2006, provided €93.7 million to the National Adult Literacy Programme in line with its commitment to provide full and diverse education and training opportunities, particularly for those who are socially disadvantaged.

The National Development Plan 2007-2016 has committed €2.2 billion for the further education sub-programme with priorities on addressing low literacy levels in the adult population and the large number who have not completed upper secondary.

It also made commitments to reduce the numbers of children with serious literacy difficulties in primary schools in disadvantaged areas by half, from 30% to 15%.

The Department of Education and Science

The Department of Education and Science funds the bulk of the further education sector through the 33 Vocational Education Committees through out the country.

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment funds workplace basic education programmes.

Who are the 25% of Irish people who scored at the lowest level, Level 1, of a five level literacy scale?

In 1997, results from the International Adult Literacy Survey, developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development showed that 25% of the Irish population, or at least 500,000 people, scored at the lowest level, Level 1, of a five level scale.

• Most of those who scored at Level 1 were in the older age groups. There are a number of possible reaons why so many older people scored at Level 1 in in the International Adult Literacy Survey:
  • they may not have completed primary school;
  • they may not have been able to take advantage of free second level education which was only introduced in 1967; or
  • they may only have developed the literacy skills required for society at that time.
• About one-fifth of people at Level 1 never read a book and three-fifths claimed never to have been to a public library.
• More than 60% of those who left school without completing the Junior Cycle scored at Level 1.
• Nearly a fifth of those aged 16 to 25 scored at Level 1. This is a poor result compared to the percentage of 16 to 25 year olds at Level 1 in Sweden (3%) and Germany (5%).
• An unemployed person is three times more likely to experience a lower level of literacy than someone who is employed.

What stops people from returning to learning?

Sometimes people who had a negative experience of school in the past associate returning to learning with that experience.

There is also stigma attached to having a literacy difficulty. Often people feel too embarrassed to return to learning and go to great extremes to hide their difficulties from their friends and family, because they think people will see them as stupid. However, this does not have to be the case. Adult education is a very different experience to school. Adult learning is all about addressing the needs of the learner, working at a pace that suits them and according to their needs and interests.

What services and training settings offer literacy support?

The main providers of adult literacy support are:

• the Vocational Education Committees (VEC) Adult Literacy Services;
• FAS Community Training Centres;
• Community-based providers (for example Dublin Adult Learning Centre, An Cosan); and
• NALA through our distance education TV and Internet projects.

VEC Adult Literacy Service

The Vocational Education Committees (VEC) Adult Literacy Service is the largest provider of adult literacy support in Ireland.There are about 130 VEC Adult Literacy Services throughout the country.

Other providers of literacy tuition

• Aside from their Adult Literacy Service, VECs offer tuition through the:
• Back to Education Initiative
• Vocational Opportunities Scheme (VTOS),
• Youthreach, and
• Senior Traveller Training Centres.

Other providers include:

• FAS Community Training Centres,
• Prison Education Service,
• FAS/VEC Return to Education Programme for people on Community Employment,
• National Learning Network,
• Teagasc,
• SIPTU, and
• community-based providers.

How many adults have literacy difficulties in Ireland?

The most recent information available to us on this question indicates that about 25% of the Irish population, or at least 500,000 adults, had very low literacy skills. This meant that these people could only perform tasks that involved finding a simple piece of information in a short written piece, with no distracting information.

A further 30% have very low educational attainment. Therefore 55% of the adult population are below the minimum desirable threshold.

Source: The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 1997. Literacy Skills for the Knowledge Society: Further results from the International Adult Literacy Survey. Paris: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Where is NALA based?

Our main office is in Dublin and we have a regional office in Cork.

How is NALA funded?

Our main funding comes from the Department of Education and Science. As well as this, we work with a range of Government departments, state organisations, businesses who sometimes fund specific development projects. We are a registered limited company with charitable status.

What is literacy?

NALA defines literacy as listening and speaking, reading, writing, numeracy and using everyday technology to communicate and handle information. Literacy includes more than the technical skills of communication: it also has personal, social and economic dimensions. Literacy increases the opportunity for individuals and communities to reflect on their situation, explore new possibilities and initiate change.

What is a spiky profile?

It is important to note that if a person needs to develop confidence and skill in particular literacy practices, it does not mean that the individual has difficulties with all of the basics of reading, writing, verbal communication and number work. We all have things we are good at and other things we have to struggle with and it works in much the same way with basic skills.

People's skills tend to be 'spiky', which means that we can be very good at one thing but have a real difficulty with another, which can have an adverse affect on our overall performance.

The Moser Report states that "a learner would need many years to get to a threshold basic skills level. In the USA, the research shows that between 550-600 hours of instruction are needed to become fully literate and numerate".

Why should I return to learning?

Because you want to. Otherwise you would not be reading this!

Returning to learning has many benefits. You will improve your skills but also gain confidence to go on to learn new ones. It means hard work but it is a great experience that opens up a whole new world in a friendly and relaxed environment. It's nothing like going back to school, because everyone learners at their own pace and there aren't any exams at the end though you can go on and work towards a qualification if you want to.

Throughout Ireland, lots of people are returning to learning and brushing up on their reading, writing and maths skills. They are people who want to catch up on the skills they may have missed at school, workers who would like to go for promotion (but don't have the confidence to sit an exam) as well as those who would simply like to write a letter or send an email.

How can I improve my reading, writing and work with numbers?

If you are a bit rusty with your reading, writing and numbers then now is the time to improve these skills. Here are two ways you can do this:

1) Ring us on our freephone 1800 20 20 65

Ring us on our freephone number 1800 20 20 65 and ask about getting matched up with a tutor. A tutor will call you back, listen to what you want to learn and work with you to see how you can achieve that. They will ring you once a week to see how you are getting on. We may also be able to send you out a DVD showing you what you can expect if you got back to learning.

Watch out too for our new TV Series, Stuck for Words. It will be on in May. The series follows 6 learners, probably like yourself, who go back to learning.

Depending on your reading and writing skills you might also be able to learn using the Internet. You can talk to our freephone workers about this idea and maybe see if it is for you.

2) Get help through you VEC Adult Literacy Service

There are 130 VEC adult literacy services in Ireland. You can come to this a service to work with trained tutors on a one to one basis or in small groups. The service is free and confidential. You can get 2 - 4 hours help per week. The local Adult Literacy Organiser will meet you and find a suitable tutor for you. Click here to find a list of services in your area.

How long will it take for me to learn how to read and write?

• This is a hard question and depends on different factors such as:
• how much you can read and write or work with numbers now
• how much effort you put in
• how much help you get
• how good that help is.

An important English report said that a student would need many yeras to get a basic level. In the USA, research shows that between 550 and 600 hours of instruction are needed to becme fully literate and numerate.

What is the profile of a typical adult literacy student?

The typical adult literacy student in the VEC adult literacy service in 2008 :

• is 40 years of age
• has left school at 15-16, most likely without a junior certificate level qualification
• receives two hours literacy tuition per week. This is eqivalent to two weeks' full-time education
• mainly women (60%)
• are employed.

How many learners are in the VEC Adult Literacy Service?

In 2008 there were 47,610 adults working to improve their literacy and numeracy skills in the VEC Adult Literacy Service. This represents a 4% increase in the number of students attending classes in 2007.

Note: These figures do not include those on Intensive Tuition in Adult Basic Education (ITABE),

How many voluntary tutors are there in the VEC Adult Literacy Service?

There are about 3,283 voluntary tutors in the Service. (2008 figures).

What is NALA?

NALA stands for the National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA). We are an independent membership organisation. We are a charity. We have over 600 members and have been in existence since 1980. We are committed to making sure people with literacy difficulties can fully take part in society and have access to learning opportunities that meet their needs.

What are the categories of NALA membership?

We have two categories of membership:

1. Individual membership is open to anyone interested in or involved with adult literacy. Individual members may vote in person at general meetings. There are four types of individual membership.

2. Group membership is open to organisations interested in or involved with adult literacy work. A member organisation of NALA may send two delegates to vote in person at general meetings. There are four types of group membership.

What are the different types of individual membership?

We have four types of individual membership: individual, unwaged, discounted rate and associate and overseas individual members. Let's look at each of these in turn in terms of their fee and other differences.

1. Individual member where you represent your own view rather than an organisation that you might be associated with.

Fee €25.

2. Unwaged individual are people who are not working or who are on a disability / carers' / pension allowance.

Fee €5.

3. Discounted rate (for 10 or more people joining together). Each individual must fill out and sign a separate NALA Membership form.

4. Associate and overseas. For those who wish to make a donation to show their support for NALA's work and for individuals based overseas.

Fee €50.

Why should I become a members of NALA?

The benefits to all individual members, apart from associate and overseas members are as follows:

• receipt of information directly to the address given on your Membership form.
• you will hear first about our events, new publications and you shall also be given first preference with bookings for our events.
• receipt of our annual report, Literacy Matters magazine and e-zine for free.
• receipt of complimentary copies of certain NALA resources.

Associate and overseas members receive our annual report.

What contribution have individual members to NALA's work?

All individual members apart from associate and overseas members contribute to how NALA works by:

• have one vote each.
• making and / or voting on suggestions about NALA's work or direction
• Vote new members onto NALA's Executive Committee
• Putting forward a representative for election onto NALA's Executive Committee.
• allowing inspection of of NALA records / minutes of meetings at any reasonable time.
• calling for an Extraordinary General Meeting to discuss an issue seen as relevant and urgent. A minimum of 10% of NALA members would need to ask, in writing, to request this.

I didn't enjoy school as a child. Will this be like school?

No. You will find that classes are very relaxed and informal. They are often a lot of fun and have a tea break in the middle. Adult literacy learning is very different from what people may remember of school. Literacy learning is about learning that is important to you. For example, if you want to learn to write a letter then you will be helped to do this. If you wish to read to your children or grandchildren you will be helped to do this too. It is up to you.

Will I have to do exams if I go back to study?

No. It is up to you whether you want to get qualifications or sit exams.

Are adult education classes only on during the daytime?

No. There are classes during the day and every evening.

Would I have to join a group?

No. One-to-one classes are also available. This would be just you and the volunteer tutor.

I am worried that I won't be able to keep up with the other people in the class. Should I be?

Don't be worried. You can work at your own pace. Also, one-to-one classes are also available. You can talk to your local adult literacy organiser about this if you are still worried.

How important are good literacy skills?

Literacy and numeracy skills are part of everyday life. Think of all the notices and signs around us, how we use money every day, use the internet and send text messages. Everywhere we go we are faced with text, numbers and technology.

Literacy has an important role for the individual, the worker, the family member and the citizen. Most people have some literacy and numeracy skills, but they can vary in different situations. For example, a person might have high levels of literacy in completing a form but low levels of literacy when figuring out the instructions for using the DVD player.

Those with significant literacy difficulties are likely to have difficulty carrying out day-to-day talks that involve literacy. These might include:

• writing a shopping list,
• reading a health and safety notice, or
• filling in a driving licence application form.

NALA's view is that while literacy is clearly linked to economic development and employment, it must not be limited to issues of economics. Literacy is deeply connected with the rights of individuals and communities: it is about their right to have a voice in society; to continue and extend their education; to read and to be read.

What is Government doing?

In Learning for Life, the 2000 White Paper on Adult Education, the Department of Education and Science placed adult literacy as its top priority and set out the National Adult Literacy Programme. This was a plan to improve literacy levels among the adult population in Ireland. It was the first such plan in Ireland and provided a guide for action in developing adult literacy up to 2006.

In 2007, there was a target set in the National Action Plan on Social Inclusion to reduce the proportion of the population with a significant literacy difficulty from 25% between 20% and 15%.

In terms of the qualifications and the workplace, the National Skills Strategy (Tomorrows Skills, Forfas, 2007) identifies that 539,500 people, some 30% of the workforce, have Level 3 (Junior Certificate) qualifications or less (with an estimated 10% having no qualifications). The strategy identifies the need to reduce this figure to 7% (180,000) workers by 2020 to maintain Ireland's competitiveness and progress towards a knowledge economy.

The Government plans to participate in the next International Adult Literacy Survey, PIAAC. The survey findings will be published in 2013.

How is adult literacy financed in Ireland?

National Development Plans

The National Development Plan 2000-2006, provided €93.7 million to the National Adult Literacy Programme in line with its commitment to provide full and diverse education and training opportunities, particularly for those who are socially disadvantaged.

The National Development Plan 2007-2016 has committed €2.2 billion for the further education sub-programme with priorities on addressing low literacy levels in the adult population and the large number who have not completed upper secondary.

It also made commitments to reduce the numbers of children with serious literacy difficulties in primary schools in disadvantaged areas by half, from 30% to 15%.

The Department of Education and Science

The Department of Education and Science funds the bulk of the further education sector through the 33 Vocational Education Committees through out the country.

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment funds workplace basic education programmes.

How many adults have literacy difficulties in Ireland?

The most recent information available to us on this question indicates that about 25% of the Irish population, or at least 500,000 adults, had very low literacy skills. This meant that these people could only perform tasks that involved finding a simple piece of information in a short written piece, with no distracting information.

A further 30% have very low educational attainment. Therefore 55% of the adult population are below the minimum desirable threshold.

Source: The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 1997. Literacy Skills for the Knowledge Society: Further results from the International Adult Literacy Survey. Paris: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Where is NALA based?

Our main office is in Dublin and we have a regional office in Cork.

How is NALA funded?

Our main funding comes from the Department of Education and Science. As well as this, we work with a range of Government departments, state organisations, businesses who sometimes fund specific development projects. We are a registered limited company with charitable status.

What is literacy?

NALA defines literacy as listening and speaking, reading, writing, numeracy and using everyday technology to communicate and handle information. Literacy includes more than the technical skills of communication: it also has personal, social and economic dimensions. Literacy increases the opportunity for individuals and communities to reflect on their situation, explore new possibilities and initiate change.

What is a spiky profile?

It is important to note that if a person needs to develop confidence and skill in particular literacy practices, it does not mean that the individual has difficulties with all of the basics of reading, writing, verbal communication and number work. We all have things we are good at and other things we have to struggle with and it works in much the same way with basic skills.

People's skills tend to be 'spiky', which means that we can be very good at one thing but have a real difficulty with another, which can have an adverse affect on our overall performance.

The Moser Report states that "a learner would need many years to get to a threshold basic skills level. In the USA, the research shows that between 550-600 hours of instruction are needed to become fully literate and numerate".

Who are most at risk of having literacy difficulties?

• According to the International Adult Literacy Service:
• early school leavers
• older adults
• non-English speakers and
• unemployed people

are most at risk of having literacy difficulties. People with no or low qualifications may also be at risk.

How many people are learning through the Workplace Basic Education Fund?

In 2009 there were 2,000 adults who participated in a workplace basic education training programme.

How many paid tutors are there in the VEC Adult Literacy Service?

In 2008 there were about 1,500. This figure has not changed that much in the last few years. For example, in 2006 it was 1,424 and in 2007 it was 1,492.

How many learners are in the VEC Adult Literacy Service?

In 2008 there were 47,610 adults working to improve their literacy and numeracy skills in the VEC Adult Literacy Service. This represents a 4% increase in the number of students attending classes in 2007.

Note: These figures do not include those on Intensive Tuition in Adult Basic Education (ITABE),

How many voluntary tutors are there in the VEC Adult Literacy Service?

There are about 3,283 voluntary tutors in the Service. (2008 figures).

What is NALA?

NALA stands for the National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA). We are an independent membership organisation. We are a charity. We have over 600 members and have been in existence since 1980. We are committed to making sure people with literacy difficulties can fully take part in society and have access to learning opportunities that meet their needs.

What are the categories of NALA membership?

We have two categories of membership:

1. Individual membership is open to anyone interested in or involved with adult literacy. Individual members may vote in person at general meetings. There are four types of individual membership.

2. Group membership is open to organisations interested in or involved with adult literacy work. A member organisation of NALA may send two delegates to vote in person at general meetings. There are four types of group membership.

What are the different types of individual membership?

We have four types of individual membership: individual, unwaged, discounted rate and associate and overseas individual members. Let's look at each of these in turn in terms of their fee and other differences.

1. Individual member where you represent your own view rather than an organisation that you might be associated with.

Fee €25.

2. Unwaged individual are people who are not working or who are on a disability / carers' / pension allowance.

Fee €5.

3. Discounted rate (for 10 or more people joining together). Each individual must fill out and sign a separate NALA Membership form.

4. Associate and overseas. For those who wish to make a donation to show their support for NALA's work and for individuals based overseas.

Fee €50.

Why should I become a members of NALA?

The benefits to all individual members, apart from associate and overseas members are as follows:

• receipt of information directly to the address given on your Membership form.
• you will hear first about our events, new publications and you shall also be given first preference with bookings for our events.
• receipt of our annual report, Literacy Matters magazine and e-zine for free.
• receipt of complimentary copies of certain NALA resources.

Associate and overseas members receive our annual report.

What contribution have individual members to NALA's work?

All individual members apart from associate and overseas members contribute to how NALA works by:

• have one vote each.
• making and / or voting on suggestions about NALA's work or direction
• Vote new members onto NALA's Executive Committee
• Putting forward a representative for election onto NALA's Executive Committee.
• allowing inspection of of NALA records / minutes of meetings at any reasonable time.
• calling for an Extraordinary General Meeting to discuss an issue seen as relevant and urgent. A minimum of 10% of NALA members would need to ask, in writing, to request this.

How important are good literacy skills?

Literacy and numeracy skills are part of everyday life. Think of all the notices and signs around us, how we use money every day, use the internet and send text messages. Everywhere we go we are faced with text, numbers and technology.

Literacy has an important role for the individual, the worker, the family member and the citizen. Most people have some literacy and numeracy skills, but they can vary in different situations. For example, a person might have high levels of literacy in completing a form but low levels of literacy when figuring out the instructions for using the DVD player.

Those with significant literacy difficulties are likely to have difficulty carrying out day-to-day talks that involve literacy. These might include:

• writing a shopping list,
• reading a health and safety notice, or
• filling in a driving licence application form.

NALA's view is that while literacy is clearly linked to economic development and employment, it must not be limited to issues of economics. Literacy is deeply connected with the rights of individuals and communities: it is about their right to have a voice in society; to continue and extend their education; to read and to be read.

What is Government doing?

In Learning for Life, the 2000 White Paper on Adult Education, the Department of Education and Science placed adult literacy as its top priority and set out the National Adult Literacy Programme. This was a plan to improve literacy levels among the adult population in Ireland. It was the first such plan in Ireland and provided a guide for action in developing adult literacy up to 2006.

In 2007, there was a target set in the National Action Plan on Social Inclusion to reduce the proportion of the population with a significant literacy difficulty from 25% between 20% and 15%.

In terms of the qualifications and the workplace, the National Skills Strategy (Tomorrows Skills, Forfas, 2007) identifies that 539,500 people, some 30% of the workforce, have Level 3 (Junior Certificate) qualifications or less (with an estimated 10% having no qualifications). The strategy identifies the need to reduce this figure to 7% (180,000) workers by 2020 to maintain Ireland's competitiveness and progress towards a knowledge economy.

The Government plans to participate in the next International Adult Literacy Survey, PIAAC. The survey findings will be published in 2013.

How is adult literacy financed in Ireland?

National Development Plans

The National Development Plan 2000-2006, provided €93.7 million to the National Adult Literacy Programme in line with its commitment to provide full and diverse education and training opportunities, particularly for those who are socially disadvantaged.

The National Development Plan 2007-2016 has committed €2.2 billion for the further education sub-programme with priorities on addressing low literacy levels in the adult population and the large number who have not completed upper secondary.

It also made commitments to reduce the numbers of children with serious literacy difficulties in primary schools in disadvantaged areas by half, from 30% to 15%.

The Department of Education and Science

The Department of Education and Science funds the bulk of the further education sector through the 33 Vocational Education Committees through out the country.

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment funds workplace basic education programmes.

Who are the 25% of Irish people who scored at the lowest level, Level 1, of a five level literacy scale?

In 1997, results from the International Adult Literacy Survey, developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development showed that 25% of the Irish population, or at least 500,000 people, scored at the lowest level, Level 1, of a five level scale.

• Most of those who scored at Level 1 were in the older age groups. There are a number of possible reaons why so many older people scored at Level 1 in in the International Adult Literacy Survey:
  • they may not have completed primary school;
  • they may not have been able to take advantage of free second level education which was only introduced in 1967; or
  • they may only have developed the literacy skills required for society at that time.
• About one-fifth of people at Level 1 never read a book and three-fifths claimed never to have been to a public library.
• More than 60% of those who left school without completing the Junior Cycle scored at Level 1.
• Nearly a fifth of those aged 16 to 25 scored at Level 1. This is a poor result compared to the percentage of 16 to 25 year olds at Level 1 in Sweden (3%) and Germany (5%).
• An unemployed person is three times more likely to experience a lower level of literacy than someone who is employed.

What stops people from returning to learning?

Sometimes people who had a negative experience of school in the past associate returning to learning with that experience.

There is also stigma attached to having a literacy difficulty. Often people feel too embarrassed to return to learning and go to great extremes to hide their difficulties from their friends and family, because they think people will see them as stupid. However, this does not have to be the case. Adult education is a very different experience to school. Adult learning is all about addressing the needs of the learner, working at a pace that suits them and according to their needs and interests.

What services and training settings offer literacy support?

The main providers of adult literacy support are:

• the Vocational Education Committees (VEC) Adult Literacy Services;
• FAS Community Training Centres;
• Community-based providers (for example Dublin Adult Learning Centre, An Cosan); and
• NALA through our distance education TV and Internet projects.

VEC Adult Literacy Service

The Vocational Education Committees (VEC) Adult Literacy Service is the largest provider of adult literacy support in Ireland.There are about 130 VEC Adult Literacy Services throughout the country.

Other providers of literacy tuition

• Aside from their Adult Literacy Service, VECs offer tuition through the:
• Back to Education Initiative
• Vocational Opportunities Scheme (VTOS),
• Youthreach, and
• Senior Traveller Training Centres.

Other providers include:

• FAS Community Training Centres,
• Prison Education Service,
• FAS/VEC Return to Education Programme for people on Community Employment,
• National Learning Network,
• Teagasc,
• SIPTU, and
• community-based providers.

How many adults have literacy difficulties in Ireland?

The most recent information available to us on this question indicates that about 25% of the Irish population, or at least 500,000 adults, had very low literacy skills. This meant that these people could only perform tasks that involved finding a simple piece of information in a short written piece, with no distracting information.

A further 30% have very low educational attainment. Therefore 55% of the adult population are below the minimum desirable threshold.

Source: The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 1997. Literacy Skills for the Knowledge Society: Further results from the International Adult Literacy Survey. Paris: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Where is NALA based?

Our main office is in Dublin and we have a regional office in Cork.

What is literacy?

NALA defines literacy as listening and speaking, reading, writing, numeracy and using everyday technology to communicate and handle information. Literacy includes more than the technical skills of communication: it also has personal, social and economic dimensions. Literacy increases the opportunity for individuals and communities to reflect on their situation, explore new possibilities and initiate change.

What is a spiky profile?

It is important to note that if a person needs to develop confidence and skill in particular literacy practices, it does not mean that the individual has difficulties with all of the basics of reading, writing, verbal communication and number work. We all have things we are good at and other things we have to struggle with and it works in much the same way with basic skills.

People's skills tend to be 'spiky', which means that we can be very good at one thing but have a real difficulty with another, which can have an adverse affect on our overall performance.

The Moser Report states that "a learner would need many years to get to a threshold basic skills level. In the USA, the research shows that between 550-600 hours of instruction are needed to become fully literate and numerate".

How many paid tutors are there in the VEC Adult Literacy Service?

In 2008 there were about 1,500. This figure has not changed that much in the last few years. For example, in 2006 it was 1,424 and in 2007 it was 1,492.

How many learners are in the VEC Adult Literacy Service?

In 2008 there were 47,610 adults working to improve their literacy and numeracy skills in the VEC Adult Literacy Service. This represents a 4% increase in the number of students attending classes in 2007.

Note: These figures do not include those on Intensive Tuition in Adult Basic Education (ITABE),

What is NALA?

NALA stands for the National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA). We are an independent membership organisation. We are a charity. We have over 600 members and have been in existence since 1980. We are committed to making sure people with literacy difficulties can fully take part in society and have access to learning opportunities that meet their needs.

What are the categories of NALA membership?

We have two categories of membership:

1. Individual membership is open to anyone interested in or involved with adult literacy. Individual members may vote in person at general meetings. There are four types of individual membership.

2. Group membership is open to organisations interested in or involved with adult literacy work. A member organisation of NALA may send two delegates to vote in person at general meetings. There are four types of group membership.

What are the different types of individual membership?

We have four types of individual membership: individual, unwaged, discounted rate and associate and overseas individual members. Let's look at each of these in turn in terms of their fee and other differences.

1. Individual member where you represent your own view rather than an organisation that you might be associated with.

Fee €25.

2. Unwaged individual are people who are not working or who are on a disability / carers' / pension allowance.

Fee €5.

3. Discounted rate (for 10 or more people joining together). Each individual must fill out and sign a separate NALA Membership form.

4. Associate and overseas. For those who wish to make a donation to show their support for NALA's work and for individuals based overseas.

Fee €50.

Why should I become a members of NALA?

The benefits to all individual members, apart from associate and overseas members are as follows:

• receipt of information directly to the address given on your Membership form.
• you will hear first about our events, new publications and you shall also be given first preference with bookings for our events.
• receipt of our annual report, Literacy Matters magazine and e-zine for free.
• receipt of complimentary copies of certain NALA resources.

Associate and overseas members receive our annual report.

What contribution have individual members to NALA's work?

All individual members apart from associate and overseas members contribute to how NALA works by:

• have one vote each.
• making and / or voting on suggestions about NALA's work or direction
• Vote new members onto NALA's Executive Committee
• Putting forward a representative for election onto NALA's Executive Committee.
• allowing inspection of of NALA records / minutes of meetings at any reasonable time.
• calling for an Extraordinary General Meeting to discuss an issue seen as relevant and urgent. A minimum of 10% of NALA members would need to ask, in writing, to request this.

I didn't enjoy school as a child. Will this be like school?

No. You will find that classes are very relaxed and informal. They are often a lot of fun and have a tea break in the middle. Adult literacy learning is very different from what people may remember of school. Literacy learning is about learning that is important to you. For example, if you want to learn to write a letter then you will be helped to do this. If you wish to read to your children or grandchildren you will be helped to do this too. It is up to you.

Will I have to do exams if I go back to study?

No. It is up to you whether you want to get qualifications or sit exams.

Are adult education classes only on during the daytime?

No. There are classes during the day and every evening.

I am worried that I won't be able to keep up with the other people in the class. Should I be?

Don't be worried. You can work at your own pace. Also, one-to-one classes are also available. You can talk to your local adult literacy organiser about this if you are still worried.

What are the tutors / teachers like?

The tutors that will help you with your learning are very helpful and understanding. They are trained to teach adults and are very aware of the concerns of the adult student.

I don't want anyone to know that I am attending adult education classes. Is this likely?

That is no problem. Adult literacy classes are confidential. No one except you, your tutor and the adult literacy organiser need know about you attending classes. Remember also that nobody will know why you are going into the centre because there are lots of other interesting classes available there as well. You could be going to computer, art or even a dancing class!

Do I have to go to classes in the nearest Adult Literacy Centre?

No. You can join any service you like.

I am afriad to go back to education. What should I do?

Remember everyone is nervous at first when they are trying something new so you are not the only one. You will find that the staff at the centre are very kind and understanding and are happy to help you overcome any fears you might have. Remember too that over 50,000 Irish adults are getting help with their reading, writing and number work.

How can I find out more?

If you want to find out more just call our freephone support line on 1800 20 20 65 and you will be put in contact with the literacy service closest to you, or one nearby. It is that simple. All you have to do is make the first call.

If you have access to the internet you can also see more information on www.literacy.ie

How important are good literacy skills?

Literacy and numeracy skills are part of everyday life. Think of all the notices and signs around us, how we use money every day, use the internet and send text messages. Everywhere we go we are faced with text, numbers and technology.

Literacy has an important role for the individual, the worker, the family member and the citizen. Most people have some literacy and numeracy skills, but they can vary in different situations. For example, a person might have high levels of literacy in completing a form but low levels of literacy when figuring out the instructions for using the DVD player.

Those with significant literacy difficulties are likely to have difficulty carrying out day-to-day talks that involve literacy. These might include:

• writing a shopping list,
• reading a health and safety notice, or
• filling in a driving licence application form.

NALA's view is that while literacy is clearly linked to economic development and employment, it must not be limited to issues of economics. Literacy is deeply connected with the rights of individuals and communities: it is about their right to have a voice in society; to continue and extend their education; to read and to be read.

What is Government doing?

In Learning for Life, the 2000 White Paper on Adult Education, the Department of Education and Science placed adult literacy as its top priority and set out the National Adult Literacy Programme. This was a plan to improve literacy levels among the adult population in Ireland. It was the first such plan in Ireland and provided a guide for action in developing adult literacy up to 2006.

In 2007, there was a target set in the National Action Plan on Social Inclusion to reduce the proportion of the population with a significant literacy difficulty from 25% between 20% and 15%.

In terms of the qualifications and the workplace, the National Skills Strategy (Tomorrows Skills, Forfas, 2007) identifies that 539,500 people, some 30% of the workforce, have Level 3 (Junior Certificate) qualifications or less (with an estimated 10% having no qualifications). The strategy identifies the need to reduce this figure to 7% (180,000) workers by 2020 to maintain Ireland's competitiveness and progress towards a knowledge economy.

The Government plans to participate in the next International Adult Literacy Survey, PIAAC. The survey findings will be published in 2013.

What stops people from returning to learning?

Sometimes people who had a negative experience of school in the past associate returning to learning with that experience.

There is also stigma attached to having a literacy difficulty. Often people feel too embarrassed to return to learning and go to great extremes to hide their difficulties from their friends and family, because they think people will see them as stupid. However, this does not have to be the case. Adult education is a very different experience to school. Adult learning is all about addressing the needs of the learner, working at a pace that suits them and according to their needs and interests.

How many adults have literacy difficulties in Ireland?

The most recent information available to us on this question indicates that about 25% of the Irish population, or at least 500,000 adults, had very low literacy skills. This meant that these people could only perform tasks that involved finding a simple piece of information in a short written piece, with no distracting information.

A further 30% have very low educational attainment. Therefore 55% of the adult population are below the minimum desirable threshold.

Source: The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 1997. Literacy Skills for the Knowledge Society: Further results from the International Adult Literacy Survey. Paris: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

How is NALA funded?

Our main funding comes from the Department of Education and Science. As well as this, we work with a range of Government departments, state organisations, businesses who sometimes fund specific development projects. We are a registered limited company with charitable status.

What is literacy?

NALA defines literacy as listening and speaking, reading, writing, numeracy and using everyday technology to communicate and handle information. Literacy includes more than the technical skills of communication: it also has personal, social and economic dimensions. Literacy increases the opportunity for individuals and communities to reflect on their situation, explore new possibilities and initiate change.

What is a spiky profile?

It is important to note that if a person needs to develop confidence and skill in particular literacy practices, it does not mean that the individual has difficulties with all of the basics of reading, writing, verbal communication and number work. We all have things we are good at and other things we have to struggle with and it works in much the same way with basic skills.

People's skills tend to be 'spiky', which means that we can be very good at one thing but have a real difficulty with another, which can have an adverse affect on our overall performance.

The Moser Report states that "a learner would need many years to get to a threshold basic skills level. In the USA, the research shows that between 550-600 hours of instruction are needed to become fully literate and numerate".

Who are most at risk of having literacy difficulties?

• According to the International Adult Literacy Service:
• early school leavers
• older adults
• non-English speakers and
• unemployed people

are most at risk of having literacy difficulties. People with no or low qualifications may also be at risk.

How many people are learning through the Workplace Basic Education Fund?

In 2009 there were 2,000 adults who participated in a workplace basic education training programme.

What is the profile of a typical adult literacy student?

The typical adult literacy student in the VEC adult literacy service in 2008 :

• is 40 years of age
• has left school at 15-16, most likely without a junior certificate level qualification
• receives two hours literacy tuition per week. This is eqivalent to two weeks' full-time education
• mainly women (60%)
• are employed.

How many paid tutors are there in the VEC Adult Literacy Service?

In 2008 there were about 1,500. This figure has not changed that much in the last few years. For example, in 2006 it was 1,424 and in 2007 it was 1,492.

How many learners are in the VEC Adult Literacy Service?

In 2008 there were 47,610 adults working to improve their literacy and numeracy skills in the VEC Adult Literacy Service. This represents a 4% increase in the number of students attending classes in 2007.

Note: These figures do not include those on Intensive Tuition in Adult Basic Education (ITABE),

How many voluntary tutors are there in the VEC Adult Literacy Service?

There are about 3,283 voluntary tutors in the Service. (2008 figures).

What is NALA?

NALA stands for the National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA). We are an independent membership organisation. We are a charity. We have over 600 members and have been in existence since 1980. We are committed to making sure people with literacy difficulties can fully take part in society and have access to learning opportunities that meet their needs.

How important are good literacy skills?

Literacy and numeracy skills are part of everyday life. Think of all the notices and signs around us, how we use money every day, use the internet and send text messages. Everywhere we go we are faced with text, numbers and technology.

Literacy has an important role for the individual, the worker, the family member and the citizen. Most people have some literacy and numeracy skills, but they can vary in different situations. For example, a person might have high levels of literacy in completing a form but low levels of literacy when figuring out the instructions for using the DVD player.

Those with significant literacy difficulties are likely to have difficulty carrying out day-to-day talks that involve literacy. These might include:

• writing a shopping list,
• reading a health and safety notice, or
• filling in a driving licence application form.

NALA's view is that while literacy is clearly linked to economic development and employment, it must not be limited to issues of economics. Literacy is deeply connected with the rights of individuals and communities: it is about their right to have a voice in society; to continue and extend their education; to read and to be read.

What is Government doing?

In Learning for Life, the 2000 White Paper on Adult Education, the Department of Education and Science placed adult literacy as its top priority and set out the National Adult Literacy Programme. This was a plan to improve literacy levels among the adult population in Ireland. It was the first such plan in Ireland and provided a guide for action in developing adult literacy up to 2006.

In 2007, there was a target set in the National Action Plan on Social Inclusion to reduce the proportion of the population with a significant literacy difficulty from 25% between 20% and 15%.

In terms of the qualifications and the workplace, the National Skills Strategy (Tomorrows Skills, Forfas, 2007) identifies that 539,500 people, some 30% of the workforce, have Level 3 (Junior Certificate) qualifications or less (with an estimated 10% having no qualifications). The strategy identifies the need to reduce this figure to 7% (180,000) workers by 2020 to maintain Ireland's competitiveness and progress towards a knowledge economy.

The Government plans to participate in the next International Adult Literacy Survey, PIAAC. The survey findings will be published in 2013.

How is adult literacy financed in Ireland?

National Development Plans

The National Development Plan 2000-2006, provided €93.7 million to the National Adult Literacy Programme in line with its commitment to provide full and diverse education and training opportunities, particularly for those who are socially disadvantaged.

The National Development Plan 2007-2016 has committed €2.2 billion for the further education sub-programme with priorities on addressing low literacy levels in the adult population and the large number who have not completed upper secondary.

It also made commitments to reduce the numbers of children with serious literacy difficulties in primary schools in disadvantaged areas by half, from 30% to 15%.

The Department of Education and Science

The Department of Education and Science funds the bulk of the further education sector through the 33 Vocational Education Committees through out the country.

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment funds workplace basic education programmes.

Who are the 25% of Irish people who scored at the lowest level, Level 1, of a five level literacy scale?

In 1997, results from the International Adult Literacy Survey, developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development showed that 25% of the Irish population, or at least 500,000 people, scored at the lowest level, Level 1, of a five level scale.

• Most of those who scored at Level 1 were in the older age groups. There are a number of possible reaons why so many older people scored at Level 1 in in the International Adult Literacy Survey:
  • they may not have completed primary school;
  • they may not have been able to take advantage of free second level education which was only introduced in 1967; or
  • they may only have developed the literacy skills required for society at that time.
• About one-fifth of people at Level 1 never read a book and three-fifths claimed never to have been to a public library.
• More than 60% of those who left school without completing the Junior Cycle scored at Level 1.
• Nearly a fifth of those aged 16 to 25 scored at Level 1. This is a poor result compared to the percentage of 16 to 25 year olds at Level 1 in Sweden (3%) and Germany (5%).
• An unemployed person is three times more likely to experience a lower level of literacy than someone who is employed.

How many adults have literacy difficulties in Ireland?

The most recent information available to us on this question indicates that about 25% of the Irish population, or at least 500,000 adults, had very low literacy skills. This meant that these people could only perform tasks that involved finding a simple piece of information in a short written piece, with no distracting information.

A further 30% have very low educational attainment. Therefore 55% of the adult population are below the minimum desirable threshold.

Source: The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 1997. Literacy Skills for the Knowledge Society: Further results from the International Adult Literacy Survey. Paris: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Where is NALA based?

Our main office is in Dublin and we have a regional office in Cork.

How is NALA funded?

Our main funding comes from the Department of Education and Science. As well as this, we work with a range of Government departments, state organisations, businesses who sometimes fund specific development projects. We are a registered limited company with charitable status.

What is literacy?

NALA defines literacy as listening and speaking, reading, writing, numeracy and using everyday technology to communicate and handle information. Literacy includes more than the technical skills of communication: it also has personal, social and economic dimensions. Literacy increases the opportunity for individuals and communities to reflect on their situation, explore new possibilities and initiate change.

What is a spiky profile?

It is important to note that if a person needs to develop confidence and skill in particular literacy practices, it does not mean that the individual has difficulties with all of the basics of reading, writing, verbal communication and number work. We all have things we are good at and other things we have to struggle with and it works in much the same way with basic skills.

People's skills tend to be 'spiky', which means that we can be very good at one thing but have a real difficulty with another, which can have an adverse affect on our overall performance.

The Moser Report states that "a learner would need many years to get to a threshold basic skills level. In the USA, the research shows that between 550-600 hours of instruction are needed to become fully literate and numerate".

Who are most at risk of having literacy difficulties?

• According to the International Adult Literacy Service:
• early school leavers
• older adults
• non-English speakers and
• unemployed people

are most at risk of having literacy difficulties. People with no or low qualifications may also be at risk.

How many people are learning through the Workplace Basic Education Fund?

In 2009 there were 2,000 adults who participated in a workplace basic education training programme.

What is the profile of a typical adult literacy student?

The typical adult literacy student in the VEC adult literacy service in 2008 :

• is 40 years of age
• has left school at 15-16, most likely without a junior certificate level qualification
• receives two hours literacy tuition per week. This is eqivalent to two weeks' full-time education
• mainly women (60%)
• are employed.

How many paid tutors are there in the VEC Adult Literacy Service?

In 2008 there were about 1,500. This figure has not changed that much in the last few years. For example, in 2006 it was 1,424 and in 2007 it was 1,492.

How many learners are in the VEC Adult Literacy Service?

In 2008 there were 47,610 adults working to improve their literacy and numeracy skills in the VEC Adult Literacy Service. This represents a 4% increase in the number of students attending classes in 2007.

Note: These figures do not include those on Intensive Tuition in Adult Basic Education (ITABE),

How many voluntary tutors are there in the VEC Adult Literacy Service?

There are about 3,283 voluntary tutors in the Service. (2008 figures).

What is NALA?

NALA stands for the National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA). We are an independent membership organisation. We are a charity. We have over 600 members and have been in existence since 1980. We are committed to making sure people with literacy difficulties can fully take part in society and have access to learning opportunities that meet their needs.

What are the categories of NALA membership?

We have two categories of membership:

1. Individual membership is open to anyone interested in or involved with adult literacy. Individual members may vote in person at general meetings. There are four types of individual membership.

2. Group membership is open to organisations interested in or involved with adult literacy work. A member organisation of NALA may send two delegates to vote in person at general meetings. There are four types of group membership.

What are the different types of individual membership?

We have four types of individual membership: individual, unwaged, discounted rate and associate and overseas individual members. Let's look at each of these in turn in terms of their fee and other differences.

1. Individual member where you represent your own view rather than an organisation that you might be associated with.

Fee €25.

2. Unwaged individual are people who are not working or who are on a disability / carers' / pension allowance.

Fee €5.

3. Discounted rate (for 10 or more people joining together). Each individual must fill out and sign a separate NALA Membership form.

4. Associate and overseas. For those who wish to make a donation to show their support for NALA's work and for individuals based overseas.

Fee €50.

Why should I become a members of NALA?

The benefits to all individual members, apart from associate and overseas members are as follows:

• receipt of information directly to the address given on your Membership form.
• you will hear first about our events, new publications and you shall also be given first preference with bookings for our events.
• receipt of our annual report, Literacy Matters magazine and e-zine for free.
• receipt of complimentary copies of certain NALA resources.

Associate and overseas members receive our annual report.

What contribution have individual members to NALA's work?

All individual members apart from associate and overseas members contribute to how NALA works by:

• have one vote each.
• making and / or voting on suggestions about NALA's work or direction
• Vote new members onto NALA's Executive Committee
• Putting forward a representative for election onto NALA's Executive Committee.
• allowing inspection of of NALA records / minutes of meetings at any reasonable time.
• calling for an Extraordinary General Meeting to discuss an issue seen as relevant and urgent. A minimum of 10% of NALA members would need to ask, in writing, to request this.

Are adult education classes only on during the daytime?

No. There are classes during the day and every evening.

How important are good literacy skills?

Literacy and numeracy skills are part of everyday life. Think of all the notices and signs around us, how we use money every day, use the internet and send text messages. Everywhere we go we are faced with text, numbers and technology.

Literacy has an important role for the individual, the worker, the family member and the citizen. Most people have some literacy and numeracy skills, but they can vary in different situations. For example, a person might have high levels of literacy in completing a form but low levels of literacy when figuring out the instructions for using the DVD player.

Those with significant literacy difficulties are likely to have difficulty carrying out day-to-day talks that involve literacy. These might include:

• writing a shopping list,
• reading a health and safety notice, or
• filling in a driving licence application form.

NALA's view is that while literacy is clearly linked to economic development and employment, it must not be limited to issues of economics. Literacy is deeply connected with the rights of individuals and communities: it is about their right to have a voice in society; to continue and extend their education; to read and to be read.

What is Government doing?

In Learning for Life, the 2000 White Paper on Adult Education, the Department of Education and Science placed adult literacy as its top priority and set out the National Adult Literacy Programme. This was a plan to improve literacy levels among the adult population in Ireland. It was the first such plan in Ireland and provided a guide for action in developing adult literacy up to 2006.

In 2007, there was a target set in the National Action Plan on Social Inclusion to reduce the proportion of the population with a significant literacy difficulty from 25% between 20% and 15%.

In terms of the qualifications and the workplace, the National Skills Strategy (Tomorrows Skills, Forfas, 2007) identifies that 539,500 people, some 30% of the workforce, have Level 3 (Junior Certificate) qualifications or less (with an estimated 10% having no qualifications). The strategy identifies the need to reduce this figure to 7% (180,000) workers by 2020 to maintain Ireland's competitiveness and progress towards a knowledge economy.

The Government plans to participate in the next International Adult Literacy Survey, PIAAC. The survey findings will be published in 2013.

How is adult literacy financed in Ireland?

National Development Plans

The National Development Plan 2000-2006, provided €93.7 million to the National Adult Literacy Programme in line with its commitment to provide full and diverse education and training opportunities, particularly for those who are socially disadvantaged.

The National Development Plan 2007-2016 has committed €2.2 billion for the further education sub-programme with priorities on addressing low literacy levels in the adult population and the large number who have not completed upper secondary.

It also made commitments to reduce the numbers of children with serious literacy difficulties in primary schools in disadvantaged areas by half, from 30% to 15%.

The Department of Education and Science

The Department of Education and Science funds the bulk of the further education sector through the 33 Vocational Education Committees through out the country.

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment funds workplace basic education programmes.

Who are the 25% of Irish people who scored at the lowest level, Level 1, of a five level literacy scale?

In 1997, results from the International Adult Literacy Survey, developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development showed that 25% of the Irish population, or at least 500,000 people, scored at the lowest level, Level 1, of a five level scale.

• Most of those who scored at Level 1 were in the older age groups. There are a number of possible reaons why so many older people scored at Level 1 in in the International Adult Literacy Survey:
  • they may not have completed primary school;
  • they may not have been able to take advantage of free second level education which was only introduced in 1967; or
  • they may only have developed the literacy skills required for society at that time.
• About one-fifth of people at Level 1 never read a book and three-fifths claimed never to have been to a public library.
• More than 60% of those who left school without completing the Junior Cycle scored at Level 1.
• Nearly a fifth of those aged 16 to 25 scored at Level 1. This is a poor result compared to the percentage of 16 to 25 year olds at Level 1 in Sweden (3%) and Germany (5%).
• An unemployed person is three times more likely to experience a lower level of literacy than someone who is employed.

What stops people from returning to learning?

Sometimes people who had a negative experience of school in the past associate returning to learning with that experience.

There is also stigma attached to having a literacy difficulty. Often people feel too embarrassed to return to learning and go to great extremes to hide their difficulties from their friends and family, because they think people will see them as stupid. However, this does not have to be the case. Adult education is a very different experience to school. Adult learning is all about addressing the needs of the learner, working at a pace that suits them and according to their needs and interests.

What services and training settings offer literacy support?

The main providers of adult literacy support are:

• the Vocational Education Committees (VEC) Adult Literacy Services;
• FAS Community Training Centres;
• Community-based providers (for example Dublin Adult Learning Centre, An Cosan); and
• NALA through our distance education TV and Internet projects.

VEC Adult Literacy Service

The Vocational Education Committees (VEC) Adult Literacy Service is the largest provider of adult literacy support in Ireland.There are about 130 VEC Adult Literacy Services throughout the country.

Other providers of literacy tuition

• Aside from their Adult Literacy Service, VECs offer tuition through the:
• Back to Education Initiative
• Vocational Opportunities Scheme (VTOS),
• Youthreach, and
• Senior Traveller Training Centres.

Other providers include:

• FAS Community Training Centres,
• Prison Education Service,
• FAS/VEC Return to Education Programme for people on Community Employment,
• National Learning Network,
• Teagasc,
• SIPTU, and
• community-based providers.

A forum is a tree like structure starting with topics (commonly called threads) and inside them 'posts'. Forums are organised into a set of generic topics (usually with one main topic) driven and updated by a group known as members, and governed by a group known as moderators. Most common topics on forums include questions, comparisons, polls of opinion as well as debates.

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A post is a user submitted message enclosed into a block containing the user's details and the date and time it was submitted. Members are usually allowed to edit or delete their own posts. Posts are contained in threads, where they appear as boxes one after another. The first post starts the thread; this may be called the original post, or OP. Posts that follow in the thread are meant to continue discussion about that post, or respond to other replies; it is not unknown for discussions to be derailed. A post is a message submitted by a member. This is enclosed into a block containing the member's details and the date and time it was submitted. Members are allowed to edit or delete their own posts. Posts are contained in threads, where they appear as boxes one after another. The first post starts the thread; this may be called the original post, or OP. Posts that follow in the thread are meant to continue discussion about that post, or respond to other replies.

The 2006 census records 419, 733 people as non-Irish (CSO,2007). When this figure is adjusted –discounting people 14 years of age and under and discounting people from traditional English speaking countries (UK, USA etc) - the numbers of adults from non-English speaking countries usually resident in Ireland is a almost a quarter of a million (249,836). There is no specific research which can provide an estimate of how many of these need language or literacy support. However, the EU average for participation in adult education is 10.8%, which suggests that a service enabling at least 25,000 should be planned for, at a cost of €20 Million. This figure is based on the fact that at present, ESOL is funded from the adult literacy budget, and 30% or 12,500 learners in adult literacy services are ESOL learners. This costs an estimated €10 Million, so to reach double that figure €20 Million is needed. NALA hold that a separate funding stream needs to be created for ESOL, over and above the literacy budget. In other words, taking 30% of the literacy budget to start up an ESOL service is unacceptable to NALA, as the literacy budget was never intended to cover adult literacy and ESOL, as has happened in practice.

ESOL stands for English for Speakers of Other Languages. In the Adult Basic Education Context (ABE) context it is about providing support for non-English speakers. Literacy and language are intertwined not only within first language acquisition but also within the teaching and learning of English as a second language.

How important are good literacy skills?

Literacy and numeracy skills are part of everyday life. Think of all the notices and signs around us, how we use money every day, use the internet and send text messages. Everywhere we go we are faced with text, numbers and technology.

Literacy has an important role for the individual, the worker, the family member and the citizen. Most people have some literacy and numeracy skills, but they can vary in different situations. For example, a person might have high levels of literacy in completing a form but low levels of literacy when figuring out the instructions for using the DVD player.

Those with significant literacy difficulties are likely to have difficulty carrying out day-to-day talks that involve literacy. These might include:

• writing a shopping list,
• reading a health and safety notice, or
• filling in a driving licence application form.

NALA's view is that while literacy is clearly linked to economic development and employment, it must not be limited to issues of economics. Literacy is deeply connected with the rights of individuals and communities: it is about their right to have a voice in society; to continue and extend their education; to read and to be read.

In 1997 the OECD developed an international survey which examined how well adultscould cope withdifferent types of reading and numeracy tasks which crop up regularly in work and in daily life. The survey looked at how adults of working age manage common literacy activites– such as reading timetables, understanding the labels on medicine bottles, or calculating and estimating quantities. This International Adult Literacy Survey concluded that one in four – that is, about half a million - Irish adults aged between 16-64 have problems with even the simplest literacy tasks, such as reading instructions on a bottle of aspirin.

According to the last international survey, one in four people in Ireland have difficulties reading, writing or working with numbers.See Literacy in Ireland for more information.

25% of people have literacy difficulties. A further 30% also have problems with literacy. Older people tend to have more difficulties than people under 40. This relates in part to the late arrival of free secondary education in Ireland.

Ireland took part in the first International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS), which was conducted by the OECD in nine countries between 1994 and 1995. The OECD also conducted a second survey with five additional countries and published these results in 1997. Looking at the performance of Ireland compared to some of the key developed countries included in these surveys, what emerged is that Ireland, with the exception of Northern Ireland and Poland, had the highest proportion of working age population with the lowest levels of literacy (25% at Level 1). Also, nearly a fifth of those aged 16-25 scored at Level 1. This is a poor result compared with Sweden (3%) and Germany (5%). However, it should also be noted that the difference between Ireland and some other developed countries is relatively small, with Irish scores very similar to Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the USA.

How many adults have literacy difficulties in Ireland?

The most recent information available to us on this question indicates that about 25% of the Irish population, or at least 500,000 adults, had very low literacy skills. This meant that these people could only perform tasks that involved finding a simple piece of information in a short written piece, with no distracting information.

A further 30% have very low educational attainment. Therefore 55% of the adult population are below the minimum desirable threshold.

Source: The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 1997. Literacy Skills for the Knowledge Society: Further results from the International Adult Literacy Survey. Paris: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

What is literacy?

NALA defines literacy as listening and speaking, reading, writing, numeracy and using everyday technology to communicate and handle information. Literacy includes more than the technical skills of communication: it also has personal, social and economic dimensions. Literacy increases the opportunity for individuals and communities to reflect on their situation, explore new possibilities and initiate change.

What is a spiky profile?

It is important to note that if a person needs to develop confidence and skill in particular literacy practices, it does not mean that the individual has difficulties with all of the basics of reading, writing, verbal communication and number work. We all have things we are good at and other things we have to struggle with and it works in much the same way with basic skills.

People's skills tend to be 'spiky', which means that we can be very good at one thing but have a real difficulty with another, which can have an adverse affect on our overall performance.

The Moser Report states that "a learner would need many years to get to a threshold basic skills level. In the USA, the research shows that between 550-600 hours of instruction are needed to become fully literate and numerate".

What is the profile of a typical adult literacy student?

The typical adult literacy student in the VEC adult literacy service in 2008 :

• is 40 years of age
• has left school at 15-16, most likely without a junior certificate level qualification
• receives two hours literacy tuition per week. This is eqivalent to two weeks' full-time education
• mainly women (60%)
• are employed.

How many learners are in the VEC Adult Literacy Service?

In 2008 there were 47,610 adults working to improve their literacy and numeracy skills in the VEC Adult Literacy Service. This represents a 4% increase in the number of students attending classes in 2007.

Note: These figures do not include those on Intensive Tuition in Adult Basic Education (ITABE),

How many voluntary tutors are there in the VEC Adult Literacy Service?

There are about 3,283 voluntary tutors in the Service. (2008 figures).

How important are good literacy skills?

Literacy and numeracy skills are part of everyday life. Think of all the notices and signs around us, how we use money every day, use the internet and send text messages. Everywhere we go we are faced with text, numbers and technology.

Literacy has an important role for the individual, the worker, the family member and the citizen. Most people have some literacy and numeracy skills, but they can vary in different situations. For example, a person might have high levels of literacy in completing a form but low levels of literacy when figuring out the instructions for using the DVD player.

Those with significant literacy difficulties are likely to have difficulty carrying out day-to-day talks that involve literacy. These might include:

• writing a shopping list,
• reading a health and safety notice, or
• filling in a driving licence application form.

NALA's view is that while literacy is clearly linked to economic development and employment, it must not be limited to issues of economics. Literacy is deeply connected with the rights of individuals and communities: it is about their right to have a voice in society; to continue and extend their education; to read and to be read.

What is Government doing?

In Learning for Life, the 2000 White Paper on Adult Education, the Department of Education and Science placed adult literacy as its top priority and set out the National Adult Literacy Programme. This was a plan to improve literacy levels among the adult population in Ireland. It was the first such plan in Ireland and provided a guide for action in developing adult literacy up to 2006.

In 2007, there was a target set in the National Action Plan on Social Inclusion to reduce the proportion of the population with a significant literacy difficulty from 25% between 20% and 15%.

In terms of the qualifications and the workplace, the National Skills Strategy (Tomorrows Skills, Forfas, 2007) identifies that 539,500 people, some 30% of the workforce, have Level 3 (Junior Certificate) qualifications or less (with an estimated 10% having no qualifications). The strategy identifies the need to reduce this figure to 7% (180,000) workers by 2020 to maintain Ireland's competitiveness and progress towards a knowledge economy.

The Government plans to participate in the next International Adult Literacy Survey, PIAAC. The survey findings will be published in 2013.

How is adult literacy financed in Ireland?

National Development Plans

The National Development Plan 2000-2006, provided €93.7 million to the National Adult Literacy Programme in line with its commitment to provide full and diverse education and training opportunities, particularly for those who are socially disadvantaged.

The National Development Plan 2007-2016 has committed €2.2 billion for the further education sub-programme with priorities on addressing low literacy levels in the adult population and the large number who have not completed upper secondary.

It also made commitments to reduce the numbers of children with serious literacy difficulties in primary schools in disadvantaged areas by half, from 30% to 15%.

The Department of Education and Science

The Department of Education and Science funds the bulk of the further education sector through the 33 Vocational Education Committees through out the country.

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment funds workplace basic education programmes.

Who are the 25% of Irish people who scored at the lowest level, Level 1, of a five level literacy scale?

In 1997, results from the International Adult Literacy Survey, developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development showed that 25% of the Irish population, or at least 500,000 people, scored at the lowest level, Level 1, of a five level scale.

• Most of those who scored at Level 1 were in the older age groups. There are a number of possible reaons why so many older people scored at Level 1 in in the International Adult Literacy Survey:
  • they may not have completed primary school;
  • they may not have been able to take advantage of free second level education which was only introduced in 1967; or
  • they may only have developed the literacy skills required for society at that time.
• About one-fifth of people at Level 1 never read a book and three-fifths claimed never to have been to a public library.
• More than 60% of those who left school without completing the Junior Cycle scored at Level 1.
• Nearly a fifth of those aged 16 to 25 scored at Level 1. This is a poor result compared to the percentage of 16 to 25 year olds at Level 1 in Sweden (3%) and Germany (5%).
• An unemployed person is three times more likely to experience a lower level of literacy than someone who is employed.