Vol. 495 No. 6
87 Mr. Yates asked the Minister for Education and Science if he is monitoring the proportion of traveller children who are being retained to complete junior cycle and senior cycle at second level; and the progress, if any, made in improving retention in the past year. [20687/98]
The returns by schools to the post primary pupil database do not identify pupils form traveller families separately. Consequently, the exact numbers of traveller children who complete the junior cycle and the senior cycle at second level are not available.
It is estimated that the total number of traveller children attending post primary schools in the current school year is 650. The estimated figure for the 1997-98 school year is 500. It is estimated that 175 traveller children are enrolled in junior education centres this year. The estimated figure for 1997-98 is 200.
My Department has just put in place a pilot project called "The 8 to 15 Year Old Early School Leavers Initiative". This will run in 14 project areas until June 2000. This project aims to develop effective strategies for preventing school drop out and for encouraging those who may have left school to return to education. It also aims to develop an effective system for tracking pupils through the education system.
When the project is completed, it is hoped to implement, on a nationwide basis, the strategies which will have been developed. It is important to point out that, while these will be of benefit in achieving higher retention rates among traveller children, they will apply to the whole school-going population.
My Department is a partner with Pavee Point in an Integra project which is working to design a strategy for data gathering, data analysis and decision making so as to facilitate access to education and training by travellers and to develop a suitable tracking system.
