Literacy camp funding must be maintained

INVARIABLY, when an international corporation establishes an industry in Ireland, the high quality of the education system is mentioned as one of the main reasons for locating here.

Sadly, however, after an OECD report last December showed an alarming decline in literacy and numeracy among Irish 15-year-olds, that is now something of an empty boast.

In an excellent programme aimed at reversing one aspect of this alarming trend, dozens of schools up and down the country have held summer literacy camps with the aim of boosting the skills of pupils in reading and writing. While this is the fourth year for some schools, the significance of the venture has never been more important.

In today’s world, literacy is seen as a cornerstone of the education system. Not alone can lack of fluency in reading and writing damage one’s self-esteem, it can prevent a child from having a fulfilling life and realising his or her potential. It can seriously lessen their employment prospects.

Psychologically, the idea of holding literacy camps just before the start of the school year makes great sense. As recent exam results have shown, many of the pupils attending more than 1,200 secondary and primary schools are grappling with literacy and numeracy difficulties.

As the in-depth Irish Examiner analysis shows, while the primary focus of the summer programme was on developing children’s skills in literacy, comprehension and reading, a sense of fun was created by using art, drama, music and dance in a relaxed atmosphere. As one teacher observed, “it hardly looks or feels like school at all”.

With more than 30 out of 42 English literacy camps being held over the past week, it ensured the impact was heightened for pupils on the threshold of the new school year. Similarly, children attending 30 campaí samhraidh were helped to improve their literacy in Irish.

While the camp experience may not produce an overnight improvement in a child’s ability to read and write, it succeeds in giving the children involved a greater sense of confidence in the classroom.

Yet another advantage of the programme is the fact that all the schools in both schemes feature in the Department of Education’s support programme for the 200 most heavily disadvantaged schools, 19 of them in Dublin, six in Cork, three each in counties Galway, Limerick, Longford and Louth, and one each in Cavan, Mayo, Tipperary, Waterford and Wexford.

At a casual glance, this project could seem insignificant. In the context of Ireland’s indebtedness, the funding involved is paltry.

However, in terms of added value, the benefit to be gained from sharing out a mere €380,000 among the various camps can only be described as inestimable.

For the children concerned, literacy camps have the potential to make a huge difference to their lives. In view of its obvious importance, it would be a travesty if this crucial arm of the education system suffered from swingeing cuts under the Government’s sweeping austerity programme simply to bail out the banks. Indeed, had numeracy camps existed when some bankers were at school, Ireland might not be mired in its present difficulties.

There is a real danger that if services of this kind are pruned merely to satisfy a departmental accounting exercise, then the number of children who need to have their literacy improved will not be in the minority but in the majority. That is a truly appalling vista.