DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL TO ADOPT €1 MILLION 'RIGHT TO READ' PACKAGE AS PART OF ESTIMATES TONIGHT

DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL TO ADOPT €1 MILLION 'RIGHT TO READ' PACKAGE AS PART OF ESTIMATES TONIGHT

STATEMENT FROM CLLR AODHAN O RIORDAIN


Deputy Lord Mayor Monday November 27th 2006Dublin City Council is expected to adopt a €1 million package aimed at addressing the objectives of the Deputy Lord Mayor's Roght to Read CAmpaign tonight.

The Right to Read Campaign, an initiative of the Deputy Lord Mayor Cllr Aodhan O Riordain is seeking council investment in three key areas in order to tackle educational disadvantage.'One in three children living in disadvantaged areas have basic reading problems and I believe the local authority has a huge role to play in tackling this issue.

The three basic steps of the Right to Read campaign concentrate on housing policy, the establishment of homework clubs and the improvement of our public libraries' Cllr O Riordain, a teacher in Sheriff Street, said today.

The Council is expected to adopt the €1 million library service package which will include:
1 extension of 6 day openings
2 social inclusion programmes
3 €385k additional book fund resources
4 historian / educational support
5 enhancements in technology

'These improvements will help us tackle a major social ill in our city and I am delighted that the City Councillors and the City Manager have responded to the Right to Read Campaign in such a positive manner' Cllr O Riordain continued.

The campaign is to be presented to Dublin South County Council on December 11th.