Ministers Pledge More Cash In Bid To Improve The Literacy Of Early School Leavers

The Irish government has pledged €2m as part of a Special Educational Needs initiative to help improve the literacy of young people attending Youthreach centres. 

The allocation million will provide for the introduction of additional staffing resources such as community workers, counsellors, mentors or resource personnel, to address the Special Educational Needs of students aged between 15 and 20 years of age, across 20 Youthreach programmes.

Announcing details of the plan, Minister Hanafin said that "young people enrolled in Youthreach centres throughout the country need additional supports to enable them to develop skills which will ensure they can reach their full potential, socially, personally and educationally.  The funding being made available now to Youthreach will enable a mix of experts such as counsellors, mentors and resource personnel work with young people through a team approach, to address the special educational needs of students in the centres."

Minister de Valera said annual surveys conducted by the Department identified that a significant proportion of Youthreach students have learning issues, characterised by low levels of literacy and numeracy and other difficulties.

"The majority of these students have the kinds of problems that are associated with social exclusion. They may have left school early without formal qualifications. The practical supports for these young students with special educational needs that are available in mainstream post-primary schools do not transfer to Youthreach, however this new proposal will address the special educational needs of the Youthreach student" said Minister deValera.

Currently there are 90 Youthreach centres around the country, with 3,250 students enrolled. They are managed by Vocational Educational Committees. The target group in Youthreach is young people aged 15 - 20 years who may have left mainstream education without completing their Junior Certificate or having achieved less than 5 Ds in that examination.

Minister Hanafin and Minister of State de Valera propose introducing the initiative into 20 Youthreach centres initially, with a view to extending it to all Youthreach centres, following an evaluation. Each of the centres will get an automatic entitlement of 1,500 additional hours in staffing resources under this initiative. 

Minister deValera stated that "this initiative will provide an automatic entitlement of additional hours in staffing resources to help young people with special educational needs in the centres."

Minister Hanafin went on to say that the effect of this initiative will be twofold.  "Firstly it will allow the centres to introduce practices to assess the needs of each particular student, the development of individual education plans (IEPs), establishment of a mentoring system and engagement in inter-agency work.  It will allow for the necessary supports in Youthreach centres to enable their students to fulfil their potential and gain the knowledge, skills, competence and confidence to participate as fully in society and to progress on to employment or further education when they have completed their time in the Youthreach programme."