Limerick Fine Gael TD Patrick O’Donovan has raised the need for the Department of Education to consider extending the Reading Recovery Programme to all primary schools in the country.
Patrick O’Donovan was speaking in the Dáil where he raised the issue with the Minister for Education and Skills, Jan O’Sullivan TD. He told the Dáil that since the Reading Recovery initiative was introduced, over 20,000 children had benefitted from it and teachers and parents testified that the Programme was overwhelmingly successful.
The Limerick TD said that he had been present last week at the Limerick Education Centre for the presentation of certificates to newly qualified Reading Recovery Teachers. These are teachers that work on a one to one basis with children in Senior Infants and First Class for short periods of time where an intensive Programme is followed. It is a structured programme for eighteen weeks and at last week’s event the results were clear to be seen.
Patrick O’Donovan told the Dáil that he welcomed the decision by the Department to allow for extension of the Programme to non-Deis schools but he said that the Department needed to make provision for an increased number of Reading Recovery Leaders, the qualified people who would train the teachers.
“I’ve listened to parents of children, and more importantly listened to the children themselves, and sees the progress that they have made in a short period of time. I was glad that the Minister appreciates the benefits of the programme and that she has accepted my suggestion to allow for a greater number of teachers to be trained, and as a result schools to participate and children to benefit.”
He told the Dáil that one of the greatest gifts that can be given to a child is the ability to read independently. He added that educational disadvantage is not specific to any one area and that regardless of background children may experience difficulties in reading at an early age and if there is a program available that will help children, like Reading Recovery does, then every child should have access. Patrick O’Donovan said the he will continue to pursue the issue with the Department but he welcomed the response of the Minister to examine the issue further.
