Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 October 2018
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Traveller Education
288. Deputy Jan O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Skills to set out the response from third-level institutions to the bursary scheme to increase the number of Travellers participating in third-level education; the number who were offered places through the scheme in 2016 and 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43715/18]
View answerThe National Access Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education 2015-2019 (NAP) was launched in December 2015, and aims to ensure that the student body entering, participating in and completing higher education at all levels reflects the diversity and social mix of Ireland’s population. Irish Travellers are identified as a target group within the Plan.
To support the implementation of the National Access Plan, the Department of Education and Skills (DES) established the Programme for Access to Higher Education (PATH) fund in 2016. Through PATH a total investment of €16.2 million will be made over the next three years and will see many new initiatives emerge that will support greater levels of access and participation by the target groups in higher education, including Irish Travellers.
The 1916 Bursary Fund supported under PATH 2 provides financial support to students identified by regional clusters of higher education institutions as being most economically disadvantaged from the target groups identified in the National Access Plan 2015-2019, including Irish Travellers.
The first year of implementation of the bursary scheme was 2017/18. The HEA are currently collating data on the number of Irish Traveller students supported under the 1916 Bursary Fund in 2017/18. Regional clusters are in the process of implementing the Fund for 2018/19.
