Stormont Education Committee chair happy with latest findings in Department of Education report, as thousands of students improve level of literacy and numeracy. The report charted progress under now-cancelled project instigated by former Sinn Fein minister, John O'Dowd.
Sinn Fein MLA Barry McElduff has welcomed a report that shows improvements to literacy and numeracy here.
The Stormont Education Committe chairperson says the new findings show his party's committment to learning for all.
That's after an Education Department report charting progress of pupils and students during the time of operation of a now-defunct project - started by former minister and party colleague, John O'Dowd - showed a massive jump in performance.
"I welcome the new report which shows that the Literacy and Numeracy Signature Projects have improved literacy and numeracy performance for thousands of students in the North," the West Tyrone assemblyman said.
"This project was initiated and launched in 2012 by the then Education Minister John O'Dowd.
"The Education and Training Inspectorate are also due to produce an evaluation report on this project and I look forward to its findings in August.
"This positive intervention is further evidence of Sinn Féin's commitment to improving educational outcomes for all children and young people."
Meanwhile, Ulster Unionist MLA for Mid Ulster, Sandra Overend, has repeated her party's call for the Stormont Executive to reinstate the cancelled project.
The Literacy and Numeracy Signature Programme was discontinued last year.
“Today’s publication of the Change Evaluation Report into the outcomes of the 2013-2015 Literacy and Numeracy Signature Programme proves empirically what we knew anecdotally - the project was working and was having a positive impact in schools and helping children achieve their goals in reading and writing," she said.
The education spokesperson bemoaned the lack of longer-term thinking in the decision to scrap the initiative.
"If this project turns out to be yet another short term measure, then there will be no longer term lasting legacy in terms of pupil achievement," she said.
"The issue of underachievement in basic numeracy and literacy in socio-economically deprived areas has been well documented over the past 15 years in report after report. The proven way to address this is by having targeted interventions such as the Signature Programme," she added.
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