A senior policy analyst with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has said Ireland needs to tap into people's motivation to improve their literacy and numeracy skills.
Dr Anthony Mann was attending a conference on literacy hosted by the National Adult Literacy Agency in Dublin today, to coincide with International Literacy Day.
Dr Mann told the conference that about 800,000 people in Ireland have problems with basic tasks involving reading and interpreting information.
He said about 25% of young people leaving formal education do not have the literacy and numeracy required to be able to read instructions on packs of medication, or work out from a petrol gauge how much fuel they have left in their car.
The latest OECD survey, based on data collected in Ireland by the Central Statistics Office in 2011 and 2012, shows 550,000 Irish adults are at or below level one on a five-level literacy scale.
750,000 adults are below level one for numeracy.
Over one million adults are at or below level one for using technology to complete tasks.
NALA says this means individuals may not be able to fill in an application form, add up a bill, search the internet, vote, or help children with homework.
NALA is launching a new public information campaign, 'Take the first step', encouraging adults who have difficulty with reading, writing, maths or technology to contact the agency to get help.
