All aboard for World Book Week

Blame the television. Blame computer games. Blame our busy lives. Blame whatever you like but if you care about children learning to love to read, then you must respond to the current crisis in reading. The recently launched National Reading Initiative provided some shocking figures. Take the following for example: one in 10 primary school children have weak orinadequate levels of reading. One child in six had inadequate reading skills for their class level and one in 40 have very serious reading problems.

This week is World Book Week, a global event which celebrates books and reading with readings, book launches and lots of other worthy activities. But, such initiatives won't mean a thing if they don't get the message across to parents, teachers, childminders, godparents and anyone else who has (or should have) children's best interests at heart.

The aforementioned figures are taken from a National Assessment of English Reading of fifth class pupils. Another finding from the same survey found that pupils' reading achievements were higher if they spent time in voluntary reading and liked to read. The survey also claimed that pupils' reading achievements were related to home-background factors including the number of books and study aids in the home, the educational climate in the home and the level to which parents expected their child to go in the education system.

The survey also found that the mean level of performance in English reading had not changed since 1980.

"A child who goes home to a house which doesn't encourage reading or the development of reading skills is a child who will most likely underachieve in school irrespective of the quality of teaching," the former Minister for Education, Micheal Martin said at the launch of the National Reading Initiative.

Still getting on its feet, the National Reading Initiative has a series of activities planned, from baby book packs to young starter reader schemes to book festivals to the promotion of use of public libraries. Its first event is the launch of a series of book marks and posters with information on the best of children's authors, recommended by age group.

The National Reading Initiative is also open to ideas from parents groups, schools, libraries and voluntary/community organisations which aim to encourage reading at a local level. Submissions for such funding - which will be judged on an individual basis - must be in by March 31st. Meanwhile, enjoy World Book Week and bring your children along to their local library, book shop or arts centre during the week. Or simply, sit down together with a good book and read.