Draft:National Adult Literacy Agency (Ireland)

The National Adult Literacy Agency (Irish: Aisineacht Naisiunta Litearthachta d'Aosaigh), also known as NALA, is a non-profit organisation in Ireland. It is categorised as a public body in Outsourcing Government. NALA aims to help lower adult illiteracy rates by collaborating with various Government departments and State agencies at a national level to create and execute policies to improve the circumstances of individuals facing challenges in literacy or numeracy. Their goal is to bring about improvements for these individuals. It is a voluntary body. Additionally, assistance is provided by the National Adult Literacy Agency to adults who experience challenges with literacy due to dyslexia. In 1993, it was described as "a policy making, planning, training and research body which has been instrumental in the development of an E.E.C. policy on measures to combat illiteracy in the European Community."

NALA is registered as a lobbying body. It is also membership-based, with a combined total of 2,315 individual and organisation/corporate members as of 2023. Documents pertaining to NALA are stored in the National Library of Ireland. According to NALA's website, its patron is President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins.

History
The National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA) was established in 1977, and its initial constitution was drafted in 1980. The National Association of Adult Education (Aontas) also played a major role in NALA's establishment. As described by the Adult Literacy Organisers Association (ALOA), through the founding of NALA, and its primary goal of fostering public understanding, the responsibilities of literacy providers broadened to satisfy the developmental requirements of the programme. These responsibilities encompassed duties such as promoting the service, handling inquiries, conducting student interviews and assessments, and coordinating meeting schedules and locations for students and tutors. A growing demand arose for the education of tutors, leading to the establishment of tutor training programmes that were designed in response to the specific needs of the students. These training programmes were continuously refined and enhanced as the service gained more experience and evolved.

In 1979, NALA's chairperson was Des Swan, Professor of Education at University College Dublin (UCD). Speaking on the need for the creation of NALA, he stressed that those with literacy challenges were reduced to "social outcasts," and that their lives were at risk. In October 1981, Prof. Swan, as a NALA representative, was appointed to a government commission on the creation of an adult education plan. In November 1981, John Kennedy, by then chairperson of NALA, told the annual conference of the Vocational Principals' Association that approximately one fifth of the population faced literacy difficulties, and subsequently called for an alternative format of the conventional Leaving Cert to be established in secondary schools.

In September 1985, NALA launched its first detailed policy paper, titled 'Guidelines for Good Adult Literacy Work.' In April 1990, NALA launched a literacy charter at the beginning of the Irish Literacy Awareness Week, as part of UNESCO's International Literacy Year, 1990. It was unveiled by NALA's chairperson, Noel Dalton, and vice-chairperson, Sean Hegarty. Activities and new programmes devised and co-ordinated by NALA and the Department of Education were showcased by then Minister for Education, Mary O'Rourke. Incumbent President of Ireland, Patrick Hillery, became a patron for the International Literacy Year.

As of 1993, its chairperson was T. Downes.

The book Ireland Today: Anatomy of a Changing State noted that, according to the National Adult Literacy Agency, ten to twenty percent of adolescents and young adults graduated from school with insufficient reading and writing abilities in 1995. In 1997, then-Minister Willie O'Dea TD, on behalf of the Department of Education and Science, declared an additional allocation of £250,000 to supplement the existing £2 million budget for adult literacy courses. However, Inez Bailey, representing the National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA), argued that the rise was insufficient, and highlighted a perceived lack of adequate funding. Furthermore, he claimed that there appeared to be "a gap between the minister's aspirations...and the actual funding that's being allocated."

According to the 2003 edition of the Encyclopaedia of Ireland, the topic of literacy in Ireland sparked tension due to the country's poor performance in the International Adult Literacy Survey undertaken by the OECD in 1997. Nevertheless, the poll's method of measuring literacy has faced objections, specifically for its inability to capture the concept of 'illiteracy' as commonly understood, and for the challenges it presented in drawing accurate cross-cultural comparisons. The government and NALA collaborated on a green paper about adult education, which highlighted the significance of literacy and underscored the necessity for the establishment of a thorough national literacy programme. Despite the efforts of the National Adult Literacy Agency and the Vocational Educational Committees (VECs) to tackle this issue at an adult level, it continued to emanate from secondary level educational institutions, wrote Olivia O'Leary in the 2004 book, Politicians & Other Animals.

A 2010 speech by then President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, commemorating the 30th anniversary of NALA, appears in the book Building Bridges: Selected Speeches and Statements.

According to the National Built Heritage Service, it was headquartered at 76 Gardiner Street Lower, Dublin City, as of 2011.

In 2013, the National Adult Literacy Agency initiated a campaign by airing television advertising designed to inspire individuals to confront and address their literacy challenges. An Post subsidised the advertisements, which used the testimonials of previous pupils to highlight the benefits of resuming education. The advertising encouraged individuals to reach out to NALA's confidential freephone and freetext lines.

In the 2010s, NALA, in conjunction with MSD, developed the first health literacy quality mark, which it awarded to Irish pharmacies and healthcare practices.

In March 2020, the charity introduced a virtual learning platform designed exclusively for adult learners in Ireland. The platform emphasises literacy, numeracy, and digital learning, providing older learners with an opportunity to enhance their abilities and get a certificate. The Irish Times reported in June 2024 that over 10,000 individuals had registered with NALA since the introduction of virtual learning. The majority of individuals were in the 35-45 age bracket, with a greater number of male participants than female participants. According to a survey, around 31 percent of the individuals were migrants. NALA highlighted many vulnerable populations, including migrants, those with disabilities, and lone parents, who have been significantly impacted by the absence of learning. These demographics were reportedly achieving eligibility for personal and professional advancement.

In July 2020, the National Adult Literacy Agency released three papers that focused on research findings regarding adult literacy, recommendations for addressing adult literacy, and criticisms of present practices for their inadequacy. NALA requested that the nine government ministries responsible for adult reading, numeracy, and digital skills collaborate in developing a "cross-departmental approach." NALA expressed the view that implementing this in Ireland would be highly feasible, and referenced the Netherlands as a nation that succeeded in establishing a comparable system.

In September 2020, a fresh initiative for reading, numeracy, and digital skills was proposed by Simon Harris, the then-minister for higher education, and accepted by the government. He also mentioned that interested parties, such as NALA, would be consulted regarding the next course of action. RTÉ News reported that the National Adult Literacy Agency applauded the project.

To celebrate NALA's fortieth anniversary, in October 2020, a book titled Voices was published. It was a compilation of concise narratives and analytical compositions authored by 27 individuals from Ireland. It was specifically designed for adult readers who encounter challenges in the act of reading. The editing was performed by Patricia Scanlan, one of Ireland's most renowned novelists. It featured contributions from Christine Dwyer Hickey, Deirdre Purcell, Graham Norton, Blindboy Boatclub and Roddy Doyle. It was primarily financed by the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Department of Further and Higher Education.

In 2021, NALA declared that an increase of 1,000 communications to its helpline during 2020, a 44% rise over the same space of time in the year preceding. They stated that this rise had been an outcome of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Irish Government launched the 'Climate Jargon Buster' website in 2021, which was given the 'plain English' mark ahead of its launch by NALA.

The study report 'Financial Literacy in Ireland: Challenges and Solutions' was issued by the National Adult Literacy Agency in December 2022. NALA urged government agencies and financial institutions to adopt a variety of suggestions from the study in order to facilitate people's utilisation of necessary services and foster a more equitable society. EU Commissioner for Financial Services, Financial Stability and the Capital Markets Union, Mairead McGuinness, presented the study report at Europa House, in Dublin City.

As of 2022, NALA was involved in the 'Ireland Reads' initiative, which is a public libraries partnership with with booksellers, publishers, the National Adult Literacy Agency, Children's Books Ireland, the Arts Council and Healthy Ireland.

During the beginning of 2023, Carlow County Council were given a total of 30 housing applications in one month, however, only one of them was considered valid. This was attributed to errors on the completed forms. Brian O'Donovan, a senior executive officer, disclosed the number at a Carlow Municipal District meeting. O'Donovan showed that the housing application form utilised was sanctioned by NALA and satisfied the criteria for being straightforward to understand.

For Health Literacy Month, in October 2023, NALA detailed in a document that, being in a position to substantially handle various life domains doesn't necessarily protect individuals obstacles in health literacy. It asserted that those who manage the many features of day-to-day living regard knowledge surrounding healthcare difficult to obtain, process or apply.

As per its 2024 annual report, NALA possessed an aggregate 2,315 individual and organisation/corporate members at the end of 2023.

The Parole Board in Ireland develops its written submissions in conjunction with NALA, which are composed in plain English.

As described in a book published by the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education, strengthening learner voices has been facilitated by the National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA) and numerous municipal literacy initiatives in Ireland. During the development of NALA's quality structure, a significant amount of students and instructors provided sizeable feedback, demonstrating active learner participation. Literacy initiatives were intended to use the NALA quality framework to methodically evaluate their own method of operation, identify areas for improvement, and then relate it to the framework. It was purposefully structured to foster engagement and participation from various stakeholders, with the aim of continuously enhancing quality.