Ann Ormonde (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State whom I have heard speak eloquently on this subject many times. She has a great understanding of the problems that exist in this area and how we must tackle them. I support her observation that education is a lifelong process and one from which we should all benefit on a daily basis. I look forward to working with her on this and any other issues she may decide to pursue in the future. I am sure she will return often to the House to lecture us and provide guidance on those issues.

Our society has improved dramatically in the last decade and the economy is strong and competitive. The development of new technologies means new skills are required as well as new methods of networking those new skills. It is in this context that we must review the current status of adult education and examine future requirements in this area. As part of my work in adult education, I have tried to assist people from the age of 14 and upward who dropped out of full-time education in returning to the education system, whether through the Youthreach programme, post-leaving certificate courses and so on.

It is important that these young people who have fallen outside the net are identified and reclaimed as early as possible. Home-school liaison programmes are particularly important in identifying those students in difficult home circumstances who may potentially end up in low-level employment or even a life of crime. If we identify such persons at 16 years of age, we can move quickly to engage them in adult education services.

I am aware the Minister of State has included provision for this area in various programmes. Adult education is extremely important because it is about targeting those who cannot help themselves and offering them a second chance. For those people living in an unhappy home environment, whose children may be reared and who do not know what to do their lives, adult education can be their saviour. It can assist not only those who are economically disadvantaged but also those who are emotionally disadvantaged in terms of enduring a dysfunctional home environment. Dysfunctional behaviour on the part of parents is often replicated by their children. The danger is not so much that these children will struggle with a low IQ but that their emotional development will be stalled.

We must ensure the infrastructure and networks are there to tackle these problems. The Minister of State has assured us the relevant programmes will be in place. The VECs are doing a super job in terms of targeting those in need through the provision of various types of programmes. The Minister of State referred to post-leaving certificate courses, which have been a major success story since the 1980s in catering for those who find themselves unsuited to the mainstream system and who prefer a hands-on rather than an academically oriented approach.

The adult guidance service is vital but there are still not enough counsellors. Funding should be provided to allow each VEC assign additional counsellors in its area. The main difficulty in this regard is that insufficient training places are available for those who wish to attain a counselling qualification. Courses are available in NUI, Maynooth, and Trinity College, Dublin, but I understand UCD has discontinued its course in guidance counselling. We must provide more training places. Many young teachers who would like to become counsellors cannot secure a place despite the severe shortage of counsellors in schools. Members of the immigrant population, in particular, need all the help they can get. An enhanced adult guidance service provided through the VECs could facilitate their integration into Irish society.

The difficulties in this area are not down to the Minister of State, who is doing her bit; various factors are causing delays. Much work is being done in regard to adult literacy programmes for immigrants. I am not convinced about the accuracy of the findings of the recent OECD report. I am in regular contact with educationalists and find there is no indication that a problem exists to the extent indicated in that report. There is a core element of persons with literacy difficulties in every area but the problem is not so great as is suggested.