Róisín Shortall
Question:181 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Education and Science his response to the proposal from the Inner City Organisations Network for an Education Task Force; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2750/01]
Written Answers. - Education Task Force.
The Inner City Organisations Network (ICON) is one of four networks operating within the Dublin Inner City Partnership. The proposal referred to by Deputy Shortall was received in my Department in November 2000 and is currently under consideration. I am arranging to meet representatives from ICON shortly to discuss this proposal and other issues of concern to the network.
My Department is acutely aware of the level of educational disadvantage being experienced by many people in Dublin's north inner city. As a consequence, my Department directly supports the educational needs of the community served by ICON through additional funding and staffing support for schools under the new programme for pupils in primary schools from disadvantaged backgrounds. This provision now incorporates schools in the urban dimension of breaking the cycle and schools in the latter project are being allocated additional funding under the new programme.
The stay in school retention at second level – SSRI – which incorporates learning from the eight-15 early school leaver initiative – ESLI – about the importance of the integrated delivery of the services of a range of statutory and voluntary agencies to children at risk and their families.
The home-school-community liaison scheme promotes parental collaboration with teachers in the children's learning programme and inclusion of the schools in the support teacher project.
My Department also funds a pre-school for children in the area. Additional programmes include a Youthreach and VTOS provision, adult literacy programmes channelled through the City of Dublin VEC, adult and community education and youth services.
In addition, the Dublin Inner City Partnership is supported in the following ways: a representative of my Department's inspectorate has been assigned to its education and training sub-committee. This representative advises on the planning and development of measures to tackle educational disadvantage in the partnership area. The partnership also has the services of an education co-ordinator who is funded by my Department. It is open to the group to seek the advice of the co-ordinator with a view to the inclusion of proposals within the overall partnership plan.
A nominee from my inspectorate acts as Department representative for the Dublin north-east inner city integrated services process which is part of the ICON area. This nominee regularly meets the chairpersons of the two education task groups of the integrated services process with a view to furthering action on educational matters within my Department. In addition, he liaises with the education co-ordinator of the Dublin Inner City Partnership with a view to co-ordinat ing strategies to combat educational disadvantage in the area. The integrated services process is supporting a more focused and co-ordinated response by statutory agencies to the needs of the local community.