Today, NALA published our Pre-Budget Submission for Budget 2027.

Our submission comes as

– 1 in 5 adults in Ireland has literacy needs
– 1 in 4 adults has numeracy needs
– 1 in 6 adults has digital literacy needs

With adult literacy needs increasing in Ireland, the submission sets out a number of targeted funding and policy measures to support adults with unmet literacy needs and to ensure the ambitions of the Adult Literacy for Life (ALL) Strategy are achieved.

The measures include:

– Providing NALA with additional funding of

• €500,000 for NALA’s Learn with NALA service
• €50,000 for materials to support adult literacy learning and teaching
• €100,000 for NALA’s Literacy Ambassador Programme in prisons.

– Fast-tracking and funding three Government-commissioned reports.

At the centre of the submission is a request for an additional €500,000 for NALA’s United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) award-winning Learn with NALA service. This service provides online learning and one-to-one phone tuition in literacy, numeracy and digital literacy. It is used by individuals and adult education centres across Ireland.

Learn with NALA currently supports more than 3,500 learners at Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) Levels 1 to 3. However, growing demand and no increase in funding since 2022 have led NALA to pause the registration of new centres and set up a waiting list for centres.

Additional funding in 2027 would allow the organisation to register an additional 50 centres, enrol 1,500 more learners on its accredited programmes and develop new learning opportunities in areas such as AI and financial literacy.

NALA’s submission comes at a time when Ireland is falling behind in some of its adult literacy targets. The share of adults with literacy needs in Ireland has increased from 18% in 2012 to 21% in 2023. Numeracy needs have remained unchanged at 25%. While levels of digital literacy are improving, digital literacy needs still affect 17% of adults.

NALA is also seeking €100,000 to continue the roll-out of its Prison Literacy Ambassador Programme, which supports one of the vulnerable cohorts identified under the ALL Strategy. NALA says renewed funding in Budget 2027 would enable the programme to continue supporting learners in prisons and help improve educational outcomes among one of Ireland’s most disadvantaged groups.

Alongside its main funding proposals, NALA is calling on the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to fast-track the completion and fund the implementation of a number of key policy documents. These include:

• The report from the Literacy Provision Expert Group currently being finalised by SOLAS
• The mid-term review of the ALL Strategy due later this year
• Strategic advice notes from the National Skills Council, including their recommendations on foundational skills.

By fast tracking these reports, NALA argues that there will be a better chance of the Government meeting its targets under ALL and other strategies. There will be greater clarity for stakeholders in the ALL strategy including NALA, Education and Training Boards, and community providers. It will also mean more efficient and targeted Government spending on adult literacy in Ireland.

Commenting on the Pre-Budget Submission, Colleen Dube, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NALA, said: “Our Pre-Budget Submission sets out practical and targeted measures that would help more adults in Ireland access literacy, numeracy and digital literacy supports.

“The latest OECD figures demonstrate that Ireland is not moving in the right direction for adult literacy and numeracy. The share of adults with literacy needs has increased over the past decade while levels of numeracy needs have remained unchanged. Due to population growth, this means there are now more adults with literacy and numeracy needs in Ireland than there were ten years ago.

“Progress has been made with digital literacy needs, based on latest European Commission figures. Around 640,000 adults in Ireland do not have basic digital literacy skills. This is happening at a time when the digital demands of everyday life continue to increase, whether that is accessing public services, managing finances, engaging in education or participating in the workplace.

“As Ireland focuses on AI, the green transition and future skills, we cannot overlook the foundational skills that make all future learning possible. Literacy, numeracy and digital literacy underpin workforce participation, lifelong learning and social inclusion.

“The additional funding for our Learn with NALA online learning and phone tuition service would allow us to reach more learners and develop new learning opportunities in areas like AI and financial literacy.

“The renewal of funding for our Literacy Ambassador Programme would also allow us to continue supporting learners in prisons, one of the key priority groups identified under the Adult Literacy for Life Strategy.

“These are modest asks in the context of Budget 2027, but they have the potential to deliver a significant impact. If Ireland is serious about building a resilient, skilled and adaptable workforce, then investment in literacy, numeracy and digital literacy must remain a national priority.”

To read the NALA Pre-Budget Submission, visit https://www.nala.ie/publications/our-asks-for-budget-2027/