Ms Olive Phelan:

It was a great mix of age groups. Deputy Brendan Ryan referred to the wigs. They are used to take the stigma out of discussing this issue. We find the wigs allow us to explain what NALA does which allows people bring out their own story. One is always guaranteed that if they have not got problems with literacy, they would know somebody who has. I could write a book about the stories I have heard which are heart breaking. That is what drives me to speak about adult literacy and to reach out to people to take the stigma out of adults coming back to adult literacy classes.

I came back to adult literacy classes seven years ago. I did an intense course of 16 hours a week for eight weeks. That gave me the step-up I needed to get in there with reading, writing and a little bit of computers. I went from a level 1 in writing and spelling up to level 4 but it took years. Now, I do 2.5 hours a week. To put that another way, that is one week in a year. Somebody doing an apprenticeship will get six months to two years to learn a skill. A week in the year is difficult. An adult has other life issues to deal with such as looking after grandchildren or parents. One might not even be able to do those 2.5 hours every week.

My age group would have left school with no IT skills. Now, we have to have IT experience, especially where banks are concerned and other online activities such as dealing with government bodies. Adult literacy is not a choice. People affected must learn to have a good experience in life. Other than that, they are hiding away from society, unless they get these lifelong skills. That is not to say that we are not bringing our lifelong experience with us. We might be the greatest talkers and organisers but we still need the reading, writing and IT skills. It needs to be packaged around the individual’s needs. It is mainly reading and writing and IT skills. Mathematics would be a luxury for many people to go back and learn.

I have come across different examples of adult literacy and how it can lead to better quality of life. I found going back to education had a ripple effect on all aspects of my life. It gave me a much better life, whether it was speaking up or inquiring for myself or my family. Adults need these skills. When manning a NALA stand, I have met young 20 year olds who could not fill out their CVs, when I could tell they were well able to do courses. As they are not able to do the reading and writing for the examinations, they turn their back on a FÁS course they might be doing because they do not want the stigma attached with having problems with their reading and writing.

They are not going to let the person beside them know they have problems with their reading and writing. This applies to late teenagers up to people in their 70s. I have experienced everything in between.