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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 11 Oct 2000

Vol. 523 No. 5

Written Answers. - Combat Poverty Agency.

Eamon Gilmore

Question:

144 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Education and Science his views on the Combat Poverty Agency's demonstration programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21484/00]

The approach used in the Combat Poverty Agency's demonstration programme – an inter-agency approach which brought together a consortium of interests whose collective expertise can address the needs of the target group in an integrated way correlates very closely with my own policies and approach to tackling educational disadvantage.

I recognise that education can be a powerful force in promoting the opportunity for every person to develop to his or her full potential. There are strong links between poor educational achievement and leaving school without certification on the one hand and subsequent unemployment or under-employment on the other. Consequently, targeting supports at young people who are at risk of educational disadvantage and early school leaving is now a priority issue for the Government and my Department.
The key principles underlying my Department's approach to countering educational disadvantage are: targeting – resources should be targeted at those most in need; flexibility – different levels of need should be recognised in both the level of resourcing and the specific programmes implemented; planning – interventions should be planned properly before implementation and this should involve the setting of clear objectives and collective participation; accountability – there must be independent evaluation of the impact of initiatives; promoting success – the identification and dissemination of models of best practice should be implemented at all levels and support – structures and resources should be put in place to help those implementing initiatives on the ground.
My Department, in supporting these principles, has put in place a wide range of measures to tackle educational disadvantage at all levels of the system. These include the home-school-community liaison scheme, the new programme at primary level shortly to be put in place that will incorporate the Breaking the Cycle project and the disadvantaged areas schemes, the eight to 15 early school leaver initiative, ESLI, the "Stay in School" retention initiative, SSRI, at second level, second chance programmes through Youthreach, VTOS and senior Traveller training centres, adult literacy programmes, third level access programmes and youth services. Legislative underpinning for this work is provided by the Education Act, 1998, and the Education Welfare Act, 2000. Both the SSRI and the ESLI place particular emphasis on the inter-agency integrated approach and the integrated delivery of the services of statutory and voluntary agencies to young people at risk and their families.
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