Paid educational leave - Literacy crisis must be a priority

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.

Unfortunately, in Ireland there is a widening gap in literacy levels between children from marginal areas of society compared with their middle-class peers. This stems directly from a chronic systems failure that for decades has militated against young people hoping to climb the educational ladder.

This scenario was largely due to the State’s failure to join up various literacy improvement schemes designed to tackle educational disadvantage. Instead of being streamlined, the schemes were characterised by wasteful duplicity and lack of co-ordination.

Following widespread criticism of the system, a nationwide school review has been undertaken by Education Minister Mary Hanafin to see how the crisis could be resolved. As a result, existing schemes have been beefed up, with more than 870 schools involved in a vigorous programme aimed at combating educational disadvantage. However, welcome though it may be, that initiative came too late for tens of thousands of people whose literacy needs were not catered for by the system. Regrettably, the repercussion of bungling in the classroom goes far beyond the school gate, in many instances dogging people for the rest of their lives.

This bleak scenario lends considerable weight to the call by the National Adult Literacy Agency for €400 million a year to be poured into training poorly qualified workers, an initiative that could have long-term benefits for the economy.

Arguably, if priority status were attached to providing paid learning leave, it could save an estimated €1 billion a year. According to the agency, one in three employees has only minimal qualifications or none at all.

It goes without saying that if Ireland had a more highly skilled workforce, it would help to stave off the challenge from other countries seeking to attract employment investment that might be targeted here. Putting this problem in context, research suggests about half a million workers have no qualifications higher than the Junior Certificate or its equivalent. Obviously, this lack of basic qualifications put them at a severe disadvantage when it comes to competing for jobs. To an increasingly degree, they are vying with immigrants from eastern European countries, mainly young people with higher skill levels and better qualifications than many of their Irish counterparts.

Whatever government gets into power, following tomorrow’s general election, it must give priority to addressing the crisis of literacy by effectively supporting more adults to improve their basic skills through paid learning leave.

To overcome the time difficulties which many people encounter when they take part in education courses outside the daily grind of the job, the concept of paid educational leave, funded by employers and the State, should be introduced so they can attend courses supported by their workplace.

The arguments in favour of such a worthwhile policy initiative are overwhelming, especially since workers in most EU countries already have statutory entitlements to paid educational leave.

Research shows that when employees keep learning as adults, the feelgood factor in the workplace improves and the company’s bottom line invariably gets healthier.

With better access to training, disadvantaged employees can upskill themselves, aspire to better jobs and make a bigger contribution to Ireland’s economic miracle which is beginning to lose some of its lustre.

It would be unconscionable if such a lame excuse as the “cost factor” were to be become an obstacle to workers improving themselves.