Eric J. Byrne
Question:57 Mr. E. Byrne asked the Minister for Education the proposals, if any, she has for the further development of the youth encounter projects; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12668/96]
Written Answers. - Youth Encounter Projects.
Youth encounter projects were first established in 1977 to deliver a specially tailored education service to children who have become alienated from the conventional school system. The children in question would generally be involved in persistent truancy and would be at risk of becoming involved in petty crime and delinquency.
There are four such facilities in operation at present. Two of these are in Dublin and one each in Cork and Limerick. Each facility caters for about 25 pupils aged between ten to 15 years.
The primary objective of the projects is to rehabilitate the pupils and return them to mainstream schools as soon as possible. As part of this process, the projects are required to liaise closely with both first and second level schools in their catchment areas.
I do not at present have any plans to further develop the youth encounter projects. However, I have introduced a range of initiatives aimed at reducing early school leaving and pupil alienation. The measures in question include the special support schemes for pupils in disadvantaged areas, the home-schoolcommunity liaison schemes, and the pilot scheme of teacher counsellors. In addition, I recently launched a further special initiative aimed at breaking the cycle of educational disadvantage in targeted urban and rural areas.