Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 3 March 2021
636. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his plans to ensure that educational opportunities remain and are made more accessible to everyone particularly the most vulnerable in society; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11420/21]
View answerEquity of Access to Higher Education continues to be a national priority for the Government and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. The Programme for Government reflects the importance of supporting learners at risk of education disadvantage and learners with special education needs in higher education.
The vision of National Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education 2015-2021 is that the student body entering, participating in, and completing higher education at all levels reflects the diversity and social mix of Ireland’s population. The plan set out five goals and more than thirty actions, developed following widespread consultation with stakeholders, with the aim of supporting increased access and participation in higher education by six main target groups. Those groups include entrants from socio-economic groups that have low participation in higher education; first-time mature students, students with disabilities, part-time/flexible learners, further education and training award holders; and Irish Travellers. The plan also indicated subgroups that require support, including lone parents, teen parents and ethnic minorities. Improving equity of access to higher education is an ongoing objective.
My Department is committed to the continued the roll-out of supports for students and targeted initiatives to support delivery of the vision and targets within the National Access Plan.
Apart from the student grant and dedicated access supports it is important to note the range of additional supports which have been put in place for students as part of Budget 2021 and as part of the Government's COVID response earlier this year.
- The level of funding available in the Student Assistance Fund for 2020 was doubled;
- €1.9m in the form of a once-off COVID-19 contingency fund to enable HEIs deliver local COVID-19 responses to support disadvantaged students;
- The level of funding for the 1916 Bursary Fund (also known as PATH 2) increased to €5 million per annum, which will provide an additional 200 bursaries, bringing the total number for 2021 to 1,000 bursaries for the most disadvantaged students in the country;
- An additional €20 million in funding for SUSI in 2021 to cover increased applications to the scheme;
- €6 million allocated to enhance SUSI support for postgraduates;
- €15 million scheme to support access to laptops and digital devices;
- €50 million to provide financial assistance to full time third level students in recognition of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on this group. This funding will offer financial assistance to all EU full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students attending publicly funded Higher Education Institutions (HEI).
- €300,000 has been secured through the Dormant Accounts Fund for targeted supports to address the implications of COVID-19 on Traveller participation in higher education.
The objectives of the National Access Plan are supported by a range of interventions and programmes:
- Programme for Access to Higher Education (PATH) which comprises dedicated funding to support access to higher education and consists of three strands focussed on increasing the participation of under-represented groups in higher education. The PATH fund has a current investment envelope of €40.4 million over the period 2016 to 2022, across the three strands which are currently supporting access to initial teacher education, enables the award of bursaries of €5,000 per academic year to 1,200 (200 per year) of the most socio economically disadvantaged students and through the Higher Education Access Fund is supporting institutional capacity in developing regional and community partnership strategies for increasing access to higher education.
- Student Assistance Fund - annual funding of €9.1m including ring-fenced funding €1m for part-time students. In recent years, ring-fenced funding has also been provided for students on Professional Master of Education (PME) courses.
- Fund for Students with Disabilities (FSD) – €9.6m in funding every year covering both higher and further education sectors. The purpose of the Fund for Students with Disabilities is to provide funding to higher and further education institutions to assist them in offering supports and services to eligible students with disabilities so that they can access, fully participate in and successfully complete their chosen course of study. Since 2018 the fund covers part-time students.
- A study commissioned by the Higher Education Authority on the challenges facing mature students in participating in higher education is nearing completion and will be considered in the context of the new National Access Plan commencing in 2022.
- The Action Plan for Increasing Traveller Participation in Higher Education 2019-2021 was launched in 2019 and its aim is to advance Traveller participation in higher education within the context of approaches on retention and transition of Travellers across the education spectrum.
- Persons in the protection process (asylum and subsidiary protection) or leave to remain process are not eligible to access the statutory based SUSI grant scheme. However, the administratively based Student Support Scheme provides supports along similar lines to the SUSI grant scheme and is available to persons in the asylum, subsidiary protection or leave to remain process.
A new National Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education will be developed in 2021 for the years 2022-2026. Consultations on the approach to the development of the Plan has commenced.
Fostering Inclusion is one of the three core pillars around which the Further Education and Training Strategy (FET) 2020-2024 is built. The FET sector is committed to increasing levels of inclusion through the provision of high quality, more accessible and flexible education and training programmes and supports suited to the identified needs of individuals, with the aim of enabling every citizen to participate fully in society. FET provision is largely free or heavily subsidised and offers a broad range of courses and programmes at levels 1-6 of the NFQ. Anyone interested in pursuing a training programme should contact the Adult Guidance Service in their local Education and Training Board and enquire about what programmes and supports may be available to them. Online information is also available at www.fetchcourses.ie.
As part of Budget 2021, I secured €8m for a Mitigating Educational Disadvantage (MED) fund for my Department. This fund is being managed by SOLAS. This fund aims to provide funds to support educationally disadvantaged learners in accessing and participating in FET.
