People from all walks of life are seeking help for issues with literacy and numeracy, writes Marjorie Brennan.

Approximately 800,000 people in Ireland have problems with basic tasks which involve reading and interpreting information, according to an international think tank.

Reading to your child for just 10 minutes a day can make a huge difference to their development, according to experts.

Four out of 10 people have trouble reading, understanding, and acting on health information, a major conference on tackling health inequalities was told.

With the election campaign now in full swing we will be hearing a lot more about the fiscal space, fiscal deficit and long-term economic plans.

Disability charity Cope Foundation has won Ireland’s first ‘plain English’ award for it’s easy-to-understand website.

Doctors and nurses should use less jargon when talking to patients, according to a survey that reveals one in five patients have taken the wrong amount of medication at least once.

A health literacy smart phone app has been developed to help people at risk of breast cancer better understand the condition, after a major study found the vast majority of information about the illness on the web is inaccurate.

The plain people of Ireland want plain English — and that’s official.

With children back at school and colleges reopening in the coming weeks, the options for parents or other adults to consider furthering their education are being showcased in Cork over the next two days.

The provision of courses to match skills needs of the economy are among the top priorities in a five-year strategy for the €800m-a-year further education and training sector.

Doctors have accused the HSE of “lying” over the medical card crisis, insisting service cuts of €113m will unleash a “purge” on vulnerable patients.

The literacy levels of the average Irish adult places us 20th out of 23 developed countries in a major international study.

Education Minister Ruairi Quinn rightly trumpeted the recent, relatively strong performance of Irish universities in the latest world rankings yesterday.

It is hard to imagine that Ireland was once the university of Europe, an island of learning and classical scholarship that outshone anything the continent had to offer.

One in six people in Ireland have literacy difficulties, and a quarter have only a basic level of numeracy, according to new data.

THE Puffin ward in the children’s unit, Cork University Hospital, (CUH) is busy.

Workers who have problems with reading and writing often earn less than their colleagues, research has found.

LET’S CELEBRATE playing Scrabble.

Educationalists now believe homework is worthless and even creates bad habits. David Young asks if it is as pointless as it seems

CEANN Comhairle Sean Barrett has admitted to having a “quiet word” with TDs whose rowdy Dáil behaviour is provoking complaints from the public.

SIMPLY put, it is anything but.

ALMOST half of people between the ages of 35 and 54 have not started planning for retirement.

A new website is being launched today to help adults with literacy difficulties manage their money.

WITH teenage literacy levels falling, a survey has found that fewer than one third of Irish children have a story read to them at bedtime.

THE level of trouble Irish adults are having with basic maths could be a major factor in mortgage and other debt problems crippling Irish families, according to the Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS).

Up to 40% of adults have trouble with everyday maths calculations, according to new research from the National Adult Literacy Agency.

SHOCKING research on adult numeracy has shown that 40% of Irish adults have difficulty with basic maths calculations.

VICTIMS of physical violence and “emotional distress” — such as harassment and stalking — are legally entitled to give a victim impact statement in court.

THERE have been fresh calls for a new adult literacy strategy after it emerged that 700 people contacted the National Adult Literacy Agency in the past two weeks alone.

THOUGH the recession has made it necessary for very many people to return to education the news that 700 people contacted the National Adult Literacy Agency since Christmas should give us all pause for thought.

A BAN on public service recruitment is worsening the crisis facing people seeking adult education services, it was claimed yesterday.

IN recent months there has been considerable public debate on issues relating to Government expenditure cuts, our economic recovery and the need to protect Ireland’s most vulnerable groups.

FOR the first time men are out-stripping the numbers of woman seeking help for basic reading and writing skills.

The National Adult Literacy Agency is calling for new courses to help people read and write.

THE problems confronting people with literacy difficulties were highlighted at the ploughing championships through the case histories of two men.

The National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA) says more learning supports are needed for people with literacy problems.

ONE in ten of the Irish workforce have only been educated to primary school level while almost 30% of workers have only reached Junior Cert standard or less, a recent study has found.

LITERACY is not only the key to education, it also empowers those on the margins of society to break out of the poverty trap, can open the door to better employment prospects and is a large plank of a buoyant economy.

THOUSANDS of young people across Ireland hit the books yesterday, in aid of a good cause.

YOU provided comprehensive coverage of the recent Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) report on the post-Leaving Cert sector (Irish Examiner, August 31).

Key financial terms remain a mystery to many consumers according to new research. Figures show that 31% feel that banks or financial institutions should provide information and brochures that are easy to understand.