Finian McGrath
Question:394 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science his views on the fact that education plays a key role in tackling exclusion. [15954/03]
Written Answers. - Educational Programmes.
Education has a crucial role to play in tackling social exclusion by providing full access to life chances and avoiding and breaking the cycle of disadvantage. Since my appointment as Minister for Education and Science, I have made it clear, at every opportunity, that addressing educational disadvantage is my top priority. It is my intention to ensure that available educational resources are targeted at the most disadvantaged people in the education system at all levels.
My overall approach to tackling educational disadvantage is set in the context of the Government's national anti – poverty strategy, NAPS, and the latest partnership agreement, Sustaining Progress. Education is a central element of the NAPS, which includes three headline targets for education focussing on reducing early school leaving, and improving literacy levels in schools and in the adult population. The NAPS approach for education is based on a continuum of provision, from early childhood through adulthood, with the focus on preventive strategies, targeting and integrated community responses. These are designed to bring about an education system that allows all our citizens to realise their full potential.
I have provided in excess of €455 million in 2003 for measures designed to counter educational disadvantage by targeting resources at pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. This includes provision in the following areas: a sum of €7 million for pre-school programmes such as the early start pilot project which caters for pupils aged three to four years who are most at risk in areas of social disadvantage; over €70 million for disadvantaged programmes at primary level such as the disadvantaged areas scheme, the home school liaison scheme, and the Giving Children an Even Break programme; a sum of €33 million for post primary level disadvantaged schemes such as the disadvantaged areas scheme, and the home school community liaison scheme; a sum of €23 million for the school completion programme in 2003 which operates at primary and post primary level and is a key component of my Department's strategy to discriminate positively in favour of children and young people who are at risk of early school leaving; a sum of €12 million for disadvantaged youth schemes; a sum of €152 million for further education measures such as the back to education initiative, the Youthreach programme, and the adult literacy programme; and a sum of €158 million for measures specifically designed to broaden access to third level education for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
In all this work I am advised by the statutory educational disadvantage committee set up under the Education Act 1998 to advise on the policies and strategies to be adopted to identify and correct educational disadvantage. This committee, chaired by Dr. Áine Hyland, brings together experts from across the community of education interests and is a very important resource for me in ensuring that real progress is made in this area.