Up to 30 per cent of schoolchildren in disadvantaged areas have serious literacy problems, a new report has claimed.
Literacy in Disadvantaged Primary Schoolsis the first report on literacy achievement in disadvantaged schools in the State and details the reading habits of over 6,500 pupils in first, third and sixth classes.
Almost 25 per cent of children questioned said that they had between none and ten books at home compared with a national average of 10 per cent, the report said.
The Minister for Education, Ms Hanafin, today announced funding of half a million euro to tackle the problem.
The money is to go toward the purchase of books by targeted schools in designated areas and must be spent before Christmas, the Minister said, speaking at the publication of the report.
"We know from previous research that about 10 per cent of children in our schools would have serious reading difficulties, yet this report shows that the number of children in designated disadvantaged schools with serious reading difficulties is between 25 and 30 per cent, said Ms Hanafin.
She said she wants the money to be spent on books that can be taken home by the pupils, in conjunction with parents so that a culture of reading is created in the home.
Ms Hanafin said the issue of literacy will also be addressed further by the Action Plan on Tackling Disadvantage that is being finalised by the department.