Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 26 January 2005
1212 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Education and Science if her attention has been drawn to the fact that, due to a lack of personnel, pupils can be absent from school for up to 60 days; the steps she has in place to ensure that contact is made with an absent pupil by the relevant officials after 20 days; if the relevant officials will be appointed to deal with the difficulties; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1845/05]
View answerSince its formal launch in December 2003, the aim of the National Educational Welfare Board has been to provide a service to the most disadvantaged areas and most at-risk groups. Five regional teams have been established with bases in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford and staff have been deployed in areas of greatest disadvantage and in areas designated under the Government's RAPID programme. Thirteen towns with significant schoolgoing populations, 12 of which are designated under the Government's RAPID programme, also now have an educational welfare officer allocated to them. In addition, the board will follow up on urgent cases nationally where children are not currently receiving an education.
During the summer of 2004, the board undertook a survey on the levels of school attendance for the school year 2003-2004. This is the first time that data on school attendance at national level have been collected. The findings of the survey support the targeting policy followed by the board to date in appointing educational welfare officers to the areas of greatest disadvantage. In response to a request from the board my Department approved the recruitment of an additional ten staff in November 2004 to meet identified needs. Decisions relating to the assignment of the additional staff to specific areas are a matter for the board which is an independent statutory agency.
Schools are required to refer students absent for more than 20 days cumulatively during the school year, or where a school principal wishes to express concern about the attendance pattern of a particular student. Staff of the NEWB make contact with the school to establish reasons for the absences, and what steps have been taken to date by the school to improve the child's attendance. An educational welfare officer may then contact the parent in question to advise and support the parent regarding the need for the child to attend school regularly. In RAPID designated areas, EWOs offer an intensive service to schools and parents. Outside these designated areas, the NEWB offers an urgent service, where cases of chronic absenteeism are followed up in consultation with schools. The appointment of ten extra staff to counties which up to now have not had the benefit of the presence of an EWO will enable the NEWB to extend the intensive service. In addition, the budget of €7.8 million for the NEWB in 2005 represents an increase of €1.3 million or 20% on the 2004 allocation. This provision will enable the board to continue to develop its services in 2005.
