Speech
Minister Harris’ Address at the National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA) AGM
From Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science
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From Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science
Published on
Last updated on
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Thank you so much. I’m conscious being here with you on a screen, that NALA is an organisation with inclusion as a core value (which I share too). I know if we were together in a room – which we will be again soon – that this event would be a buzz of diversity and a ‘coming together’. But we will make the most of our screen time together this morning for three really key reasons:
Before I speak to the future, I want to look back at Ireland 40 years ago when NALA was born. It was a very, very different place – we had not long joined the European Economic Community (as it was then known, the word ‘Brexit’ didn’t exist), the marriage bar had just been lifted, socially and economically the nation was in many respects unrecognisable to what it is today. Since that time, as a country, we have seen remarkable progress for the benefit of our citizens and beyond.
The reason we are here together today is because in 1977, a group of trail blazing volunteers formed what was to become NALA with your official start as a fully-fledged membership organisation in 1980. Before that in 1973, the Murphy Report recognised adult literacy needs for the first time in the State. And during that same decade, Ireland signed an important international treaty - the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
This Treaty recognises the right to education and the right to lifelong learning, of which literacy is a core component.
It recognises that both the individual and society are beneficiaries of the right to education. So while we can all recognise what the right to education means to an individual, it is also a social right. Education, training and lifelong learning contribute significantly to promoting the interests of individuals, enterprises, the economy and society as a whole.
And here’s one of the most important aspects. The enjoyment of the right to fundamental education is not limited by age or gender; it extends to children, young people and adults, including older persons. And let me be clear about this, literacy, numeracy and digital literacy is an integral component of adult education and lifelong learning.
Some six years ago, in its 2015 recommendation on Adult Learning and Education, UNESCO acknowledged, “that we live in a rapidly changing world, in which governments and citizens face simultaneous challenges which prompt us to review the conditions for realising the right to education for all adults”.
How rapidly changing that world is now, more than we could ever have imagined 40 years ago or even one year ago. And in the stark reality of a global pandemic we see the sharp end of our shortcomings in meeting literacy needs:
I want to thank NALA for assisting people with your services during these difficult times. And I want to acknowledge here that COVID-19 has had a huge impact on all students in further and higher education. Disadvantaged and vulnerable learners have been more acutely affected.
I secured additional funding for students in Budget 2021 and the monies secured under the Dormant Accounts Fund helped to mitigate the worst effects of COVID-19 for Traveller students transferring to and progressing within Higher Education. But we have more work to do as we start to re-open and get out students back into buildings and on campuses. I am determined to ensure that supports are there for learners who need them most.
Education at every stage in life is the great leveller. The aims of education should be the full development of the human personality. And the State in recognising, championing and delivering on this – which I am determined to do – will protect the inherent dignity of our citizens and enable all persons to participate effectively in a democratic and equal society.
And why is literacy important to democracy, equality and sustainability?
Beyond its conventional concept as a set of reading, writing and counting skills, literacy is now understood as a means of identification, understanding, interpretation, creation, and communication in an increasingly digital, text-mediated, information-rich and fast-changing world. On the other hand, unmet literacy needs adversely affect the enjoyment of other democratic rights. Across the globe, literacy is not only key to lifelong success, but is a precursor for people's ability to vote, advocate for change and otherwise fully participate in society.
Just this week, we celebrated Earth Day and the UN Sustainable Development Goals also see literacy as an integral part of lifelong learning. According to UNESCO, literacy is a driver for sustainable development as it enables greater participation in the labour market; improved child and family health and nutrition; it reduces poverty and expands life opportunities.
I want to talk now about the work of my department.
The establishment of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, and Science is a significant step forward as it presents huge possibilities for adult education. This is not a department for Universities.
My department has inclusion at its core, and aims to reach those furthest removed to bring them back into education to help them to not only reach their full potential academically, but to ensure that they have the skills they need to navigate daily life.
In July of last year, we launched the second FET Strategy 2020-2024. The strategy sets out a five-year roadmap for the sector which is built around three key pillars of building skills, fostering inclusion and creating pathways and aims to address the economic and societal challenges that will be faced over the coming years.
As we know, fostering inclusion is one of the core priorities of the strategy. We know that adult education can have a transformative effect on a learner’s life irrespective of their age, background or educational experience. Organisations such as NALA demonstrate this by providing flexible, and accessible programmes to enable all learners to develop or to maintain their literacy skills.
As I mentioned above, technology can be intimidating for many people but it is a tool to engage us with our professional, educational and personal lives. Digital inclusion is a major priority for my department. Once the digital divide is bridged, a world of possibility is opened for everyone, even a world that is confined by public health restrictions. When you can pay your bills, get your weekly groceries, renew your prescriptions, and talk to your friends and family online easily and safely, you are included in a world of possibility.
One in six Irish adults can’t read or struggle with reading. This is not a figure I can live with. If this were to continue, we would be leaving people behind and I am not willing to stand over that. NALA has been to the fore shining a light on forgotten worlds where literacy and numeracy needs are hidden often in shame. Well, I think the shame is ours as a society. We can change this. We have never had a senior Minister with responsibility for this area. So, if not now, when? This is a pivotal moment we must seize together.
As you are aware, I have tasked SOLAS with the development of a 10 year adult literacy, numeracy and digital literacy strategy. The strategy will take a whole-of-government approach and provide a framework to support individuals to improve their literacy, numeracy and digital literacy. The aim of this new strategy will be to ensure to ensure that everyone has the literacy, numeracy and digital literacy to meet their needs and participate fully in society.
I am determined to ensure that this new strategy makes a real difference. SOLAS have conducted an extensive consultation process which has included feedback from stakeholder organisations, communities and citizens via the online consultation process, bilateral meetings and focus groups.
It will be no surprise to you that the consultation process has highlighted the links between poverty, inequality, exclusion and unmet literacy, numeracy and digital literacy needs. It is also clear that people want more accessible Government services where information is easier to understand and where there are multiple ways to engage, for example by watching a video instead of having to read text, forwarding a voice message rather than an email, accessing remote medical appointments, etc.
I would like to thank NALA for the valuable contributions, expertise and input into this process, as well as their engagement through the interdepartmental stakeholder group which I Chair, the technical advisory group, and directly with SOLAS. I very much welcome and am listening to all you have to share with us.
This is a core priority for me in this new department which I plan to bring to Government for approval in May. My ambition is that the strategy will drive forward progress and streamline the work that is already being done across a range of Government departments, state agencies and wider stakeholder groups, to increase awareness of services for the public and to capture the contribution that can be made right across Government to deliver better literacy, numeracy and digital literacy in the adult population.
As I come to the end I just want to reiterate again the challenges of the past year, and to say that I sincerely appreciate that you were able to continue providing your essential service throughout these challenges.
To deliver this our first ever National Adult Literacy Strategy, we need ambition, creativity and partnership. This is not about who or where or what delivers a strategy. This is about people. I don’t want to start talking about barriers or challenges. I want to talk about people’s needs and how we as a government can meet those needs.
Everyone has a role to play in making the next 40 years a time when every adult can fulfil their potential and are not held back by unmet literacy needs.
Without a commitment, a focus and an ambition for full literacy, too many adults will be excluded from full participation in their communities and societies. As we reimagine our country and our world after Covid, we need all people participating fully so we rebuild on the basis of inclusion and equality for now and generations to come.