Equality in schools - The literacy scandal

The Department of Education launched its programme Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools in 2005 to tackle disadvantage in education.

It contends it would take five years for the real impact of the programme to be apparent.

It is an outrage that 30% of children in disadvantaged schools leave without adequate levels of literacy. Those people are essentially being denied the fundamental right of an education. People with literacy problems inevitably become a burden on the state. Not putting the proper resources into their education is not only unfair but also economic lunacy.

Part of the problem is that there is no incentive for schools to do better. Moreover there is a high turnover of teachers in disadvantaged schools, which can hinder progress.

Research in Britain found each child who leaves primary school with a low level of literacy costs the state between €54,000 and €64,000 annually.

Of course, that involves social welfare payments and the cost to the state of those who go on to become involved in criminal activity.

On the other hand, the study found that every euro spent on literacy programmes can yield as much €17.50 in return. In this, our school system has been failing dismally.