Review wants adult literacy services to be standardised across country

There are wide differences in service and participation levels between adult literacy services around the country, a review has found.

Most adult literacy programmes are run through local education and training boards — formerly vocational education committees — and the Department of Education review recommends more intensive courses, group teaching, numeracy tuition, and distance learning.

The 2011 National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy deals only with children and young people, and there has been no strategy to develop adult literacy since a government white paper on adult education in 2000. The review said government initiatives have complemented existing provision, such as family and workplace literacy programmes.